The Simple Steps
by Gabix223
Summary: Introverted Destiny Henson lives with her older brother and twin brother. When her cousin, Christian Serratos, brings her to the New Moon set and after party, things begin to change as she finds herself falling into a new person.
1. Chapter 1

****AN - Hi. My name's Gabi. I write a few different fan fictions, and wanted to post them on here and see how people like them. If you all do, letting me know would be great. I'm going to be posting from five different stories: Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, Jackson Rathbone, Jasper Hale, and xOC. If positive comments come in, I'll continue the stories. If you don't like them, please let me know because I will certaintly remove them if people don't want to read them. Thank you for taking the time to read this. =]**Jackson Rathbone

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The Simple Steps

Destiny Rose Henson (Dez)

15

December 25

5' 7", Pale skin, Auburn Hair, Light Green Eyes

Family:

Twin – Kyler

Older Brother- Ash

Cousin – Christian Serratos

Story:

Destiny's dad was her idol. He was a journalist, and he lived for the arts. One day when they were in the car together, they got hit in the driver's side of the car. He died upon collision. Since then, she tended to keep to herself. Her mother had walked out when she was one. So, she and her twin went to live with her older brother. Her cousin knew she wanted to study journalism, so she recommended applying to Interlochen to study. Destiny also loves music, and singing and playing piano are two of her favorite pass times. Her "family" is well supported, but she hopes to get into Interlochen on a full scholarship for written arts.

Kyler Grey Henson (Ky)

15

December 25

5' 8", Pale skin, Auburn Hair, Hazel Eyes

Family:

Twin – Destiny

Older Brother – Ash

Since he had turned 10, Kyler had been a bit of a lost soul. He didn't talk to many people, and spent most of his day in front of the computer. After feeling like he was about to loose Destiny completely, he applied to Interlochen as well on a percussion scholarship. He often feels tired, restless, and like an intruder on life.

Ash Elai Henson

20

June 25

5' 10", Fair skin, Brown Hair, Brown Eyes

Family:

Younger sister: Destiny

Younger Brother: Kyler

Story

After their dad died, Ash took in Destiny and Kyler. He is supported by his family financially, but he works for a recording company. Ash was a loner for a long time, so he still hasn't found that "special person" yet.

I smoothed my skirt as I waited, rather impatiently I might add. My twin sitting next to me helped me none, so something was seriously wrong.

Kyler grabbed my hand to attempt to stop me from fidgeting. "Dez, calm down. You know that if you get yourself worked up, it'll only seem that much worse. They would have to be crazy not to accept you."

I nodded and gave my brother a lost smile, so distracted that I didn't even realize that what he had just said to me was longer than anything he had said in the past six months.

"Henson, Destiny." My name was then called. I jumped out of my seat, before taking a minute to collect myself. I gave Ky a real smile and walked away. The woman who had called my name smiled at me before leading me to the written arts scholarship interview room. I walked in and swallowed thickly as I saw the row of people with clipboards, murmuring among themselves. I noticed that a stack of papers were being passed down the row, and it dawned on me that those were my stories. My precious hard work, which could all be for nothing if they didn't like them.

"Miss Henson, please have a seat." A middle aged woman smiled at my from behind the desk. I sat down in the chair she gestured towards and sighed uncomfortable. I began to play with the bottom of my hair, and turned to face my critics as one cleared her throat.

"We have reviewed you admission papers." One lady with a clipboard informed me. I stayed silent.

The lady behind the desk slammed her hand down. "Speak when you are spoken to!"

"Yes ma'am." I squeaked.

"Miss Henson, you are extremely disappointing." One of the men who had a clipboard informed me. "You are by no means Interlochen acceptable."

My lips moved, but no words came out. I sat there in shock.

"Your work is completely below standard, you attitude is absolutely inacceptable, and there is no way you could ever fit in at such a prestigious school." I was scolded. The tears began to collect in my eyes. I couldn't believe this.

Just before I began to talk, to plead in my defense, the woman behind the desk slammed her hand down on a button I missed before. The floor fell out from under me, and I screamed as the chair fell into nothingness.

In real life, I sat up and screamed.

Kyler and Ash ran into my room. Ash quickly picked me up and held me close to him, gently comforting me.

"Sh, Dez. It's okay. It was just another nightmare." My tears began to fall and he kissed the top of my head. "Destiny, you're fine. Kyler and I are right here."

"It was the nightmare again." Kyler spoke up from my bed where he had settled himself. Ky knew what it was because we had always been on the same wave length, regardless of the fact that we were twins. "She keeps on having the nightmare."

Ash sighed as he sat down in the bed, keeping me safely in his arms. "Destiny, you are getting too worked up about the scholarship. You know we'll make it work even if you don't get it. And, trust me; they would be crazy not to give you a full ride scholarship."

I crawled out of Ash's lap into Kyler's, and they shared a small laugh.

"I guess that's my cue to leave. Good night, you two." Ash gently kissed my forehead and ruffled Kyler's hair. "Be sure to get at least some sleep." As soon as he left the room, Ky slid down into a laying position, leaving my head on his chest.

"I'm scared, too." Ky murmured to me.

"But you don't have this stupid nightmare curse." My tears grew stronger. Since Dad died six months ago, I had more nightmares that any person should ever have to deal with.

"I'm sure Dad would tell you to tough it out."

"I'm trying. For him. And you."

Kyler sighed. "Go back to sleep. We're going to have a long day tomorrow."

"Will you stay?"

I felt Kyler laugh underneath me, and couldn't help but smile as the rare sound filled my room. He held up his thumb to me, and I hooked my thumb into his. This had been our version of a pinkie promise for as long as I could remember. It had been started when we couldn't understand why the thumbs weren't considered a finger. Ash and his best friend had made a pinkie promise that Kyler and I saw. Ever since then, we had made promises with out thumbs, which would be much more painful if broken.

I let my eyes slide closed, pushing the Interlochen nightmare from my mind.


	2. Chapter 2

"Get your freaking butt up!" An unfamiliar voice rang through my room.

I gasped in surprise and rolled over, straight off my bed. "Oof." I murmured from my position, buried under my pile of blankets.

A gasp came from across the room, and someone came running over to me. "Oh my gosh, are you okay? I didn't mean to do that." Christian's voice reached me. I rolled my eyes. Of course. A hand found mine through the pile of blankets. She pulled me out of the mess and looked over me quickly for any bruises, which Ky and Ash would kill her for. "Are you okay?" She asked again.

I poked myself a few times, just to check. "I think so."

"In that case…" The next thing I knew, I was back on the floor with a laughing Christian on top of me.

I laughed along with her, but pushed her off of me. "Gosh, Chrissie. I missed you, too." I looked at the mess on the floor with my cousin lying on top and frowned. Looking around, another concern came to mind. "Where did Ky go?"

Chrissie stood up and pushed me towards the bathroom. "He's downstairs, making breakfast. Ash already left. Now, go shower. I'm going to pick out your outfit for you to save time."

I groaned, but knew better than to argue. As I climbed into the shower, I relaxed in the hot water, immersing myself. Showers were my favorite part of the whole day. It was too bad they only lasted fifteen minutes.

I dragged myself out and began drying off. I grabbed the robe which was hanging from the towel rack and secured it as I walked out into the main part of my room. Chrissie was sitting on my bed, looking proud. I raised an eye brow as I grabbed my brush, running it through my hair.

I looked at the outfit she was sitting next to, and walked over to my closet.

"Please Dez? Come on, it's pretty!"

"I am not a girly girl."

"But Destiny!" She pouted as she turned me to look at the outfit. "We're going to a party after filming!"

"I thought I told you no more parties." I glared at Chrissie. My brother walked in then. I turned to look at him, and my jaw went slack.

"Yeah, I know." Ky said with a sigh. "She dressed me." His shaggy auburn hair hung straight down into his eyes. Black pants were paired with a black button-up shirt, and a white tie brought the ensemble together nicely.

Chrissie smiled. "I take prided in my work. Now you, go change." I was pushed towards the bathroom. I sighed as she pulled the door shut behind me. I glared at the outfit now lying on my sink, taunting me.

"I hate you."

It didn't even flinch.

I pulled the outfit on, grumbling about how girly Christian was trying to make me. After I was done, she came in and loosely curled my gently wavy hair. She then brushed it out, which in effect just added some volume to the waves.

After walking back into my room, I reached for my glasses and bracelet, but had my hand blocked by Chrissie. "No. Not today."

"Not even my bracelet?" It was my sole reminder of my mom.

"How about you wear your necklace instead?" Kyler pulled my treble clef necklace out and draped it around my neck. Daddy had given it to me on my tenth birthday. I moved my hair out of the way, and he secured the clasp for me. Chrissie smiled and passed me a tube of lip gloss. I glared at her but smeared a thin layer of the sheen over my lips.

I followed Christian and Kyler out to the car after breakfast. "So what scenes are we going to see?"

"Well, since we're just finishing New Moon up, you get to see the Romeo and Juliet scene that I'm in along with Bella's school birthday scene. Jackson, Ashley, Kristen, and Robert get most of the face time."

"Uhm, hello. I have no idea who those people are."

"Don't worry. You'll recognize the characters."

"As long as they don't fuck them up." I muttered as Chrissie started the car. I looked at Ky in the rear view mirror, and he gave me a half smile. I pulled my iPod out of my purse that I had prepared the night before, and shoved the ear phones into my ears. Selecting shuffle, I sat back for the hour ride to set, immersing myself in the music.

After only a few minutes of the ride, I felt my phone go off. Digging through my bag, I found my black Katana at the very bottom. I flipped it open, noticing that the text was from my best friend, Jasper.

Now, I know that sounds crazy. But Jasper and I had been best friends since kindergarten. He loved the Twilight series, forcing me to read them as well. Jasper had been my favorite character, and, according to Jasper, he was the hottest in the movies.

*Hey my lovaah. How's the cuz?*

Oh, did I mention that Jasper's gay?

*Hey sugar. Chrissie's great. We're heading to set now.*

*Ohmigod. I cannot believe this. You're going to meet MY Jasper and he's going to fall in love with you because you're frakkin gorgeous.*

I laughed at his lame attempt to not curse. *Lol. I don't think you have to worry about that.*

"We're here." Chrissie stated.

I looked up. "So we are."

I shut off my iPod and cell phone, knowing that I wouldn't need them. I slid them into my purse with a sigh.

Chrissie drove past the guards who waved and parked in a reserved spot. I rolled my eyes as we got out of the car. "Do we really have to be dressed up while you're filming?"

"Yes, you do. We're going straight to the party after this." Chrissie then vanished, leaving us with no guide.

"This is really getting annoying." Ky said as we found a fourth dead end.

"Shut up, Ky." We shared a small laugh because he knew I didn't mean it. We turned another corner, and I ran straight into someone. I lost my breath, but Kyler caught me before I fell.

"Sorry about that. Are you okay?" I looked up at the person I had just run into, and almost lost my breath again.


	3. Chapter 3

"Taylor Lautner?"

"Uhm, yeah." He looked uncomfortable.

"Sorry, this must be awkward for you. I just loved you in 'Sharkboy and Lavagirl.' You totally killed." I smiled at him.

His features shifted to surprise. "What?"

"He plays Jacob." Ky informed me in my ear.

"Oooh!" I laughed at myself. "Nice to meet you."

"You, too?"

I had managed to totally weird out this guy. "My apologies. I'm Destiny Henson, Christian's cousin. She brought both of us today." I motioned to myself and Ky.

"Oh. Okay." Taylor laughed softly to himself. "Come on, I'll show you to set. Chrissie's probably in make up or on set."

"Thanks, Taylor. I totally owe you one."

He laughed, fully this time. "You don't owe me anything. I'm just showing you to set."

"You don't understand how lost we were." Ky stated.

As we approached the set, I heard a guitar. The person that was playing was really good. I tried looking around for the source, but couldn't seem to find it anywhere. Taylor turned to us and put his finger to his lips, the universal sign to be quiet. I kept my lips closed, but my mind wandered to the guitar. Where had they been sitting? Why didn't I see them? What song had they been playing?

Taylor nudged me and motioned towards the set where they were apparently filming the Romeo and Juliet scene.

I saw Edward quoting the teacher and pulled a face. That was so not how I had pictured him. I rolled my eyes at myself for being so shallow. The director cut the scene. Chrissie was apparently too busy to look our way, but someone else took the time to.

The girl who was playing Bella looked straight at me. I blinked once. She smiled at me before breaking the eye contact.

"Yo Kris! Rob! Come over here!" Taylor yelled. I tried to shush him, but he just smiled at me.

"What's up, Taylor?" Rob, I guess spoke with a slight British accent.

"These are Chrissie's cousins, Destiny and Kyler." Taylor's stupid grin was still in place.

"Nice to meet you, Destiny, Kyler." Kris grinned as she pulled me into a hug. "I'm Kristen."

"Hey, you were in 'The Messengers'!"

She laughed lightly as she pulled away and Robert stepped up to hug to hug me next.

"And you're from 'Remember Me'!"

"I don't think she's ever seen Twilight!" Rob announced with a laugh.

"She sure seems to know us, though." Taylor laughed. "She even recognized me from 'Sharkboy and Lavagirl'."

"Wow. I'm impressed." Kristen teased Taylor, and we all shared a laugh.

Rob checked his watch. "Back to set, Kris."

"Kay. Later Tay, Destiny, Kyler." Kristen gave me another hug before she walked away.

I laughed as I watched their backs. "They seem nice."

Taylor laughed as he ruffled my hair. "Most actors and actresses are, believe it or not."

"Hey!" I pouted as I attempted to fix my hair.

Taylor just laughed again.

Kyler brushed my hands aside and smoothed my hair back into place.

"Why are you being so quiet?" I asked him as he placed the last few strands back into place. All I got in response was a shrug. I frowned.

"So, would you two care to meet some more people?" Taylor raised his eyebrows at me.

"Sure." I responded with a small laugh. "Let's go see who else I can identify from different movies."

Tay laughed along with me as he led me away from Ky to the different sets. I was surprised by how few sets they used, and how many of the backgrounds from the films were real places. The only real set that they had to set up was for the motorcycle scene. I also met quite a few of the other cast members. My favorite person was probably Kellan Lutz.

He had a bubbly personality that reminded me of how I used to be. He was also by far the loudest and most outgoing actor I had met so far. I had recognized him from 'Prom Night,' which used to be one of my favorite scary movies.

"So tell me," Kellan said as he led me towards costume and make up, "why have you never seen Twilight?"

I glanced around, half to look for Chrissie, half looking for guitar guy. "Just because I had loved the books so much."

"Wouldn't that be motivation to watch the movie?"

"Not when you love the books." I looked at him funny. "When you love a book, you don't want to know how someone else interprets the book. You like your perspective, which is why you love the book in the first place."

Kellan raised his eyebrows at me. "What are you, seventeen going on forty?"

I laughed softly to myself. "More like fifteen going on fifty. But the other reason that I didn't want to see the movies was because I was afraid that someone was really going to mess one of the characters up, and I wouldn't like that character anymore."

"Wow, Dez."

My head snapped in his direction. "What did you just call me?"

"Dez? Chrissie called you Dez when she would tell us about you, and I figured it was just a nickname. Sorry, I won't call you that anymore."

I blinked. "No, you can call me that. Just mostly no one outside of my family knows it, so I was surprised." _Not to mention that my dad gave me that name._ I added on silently.

"Well, welcome to this family, kiddo." Kellan ushered me into the room. I stood still in surprise for a second at when Kellan said. My mouth formed half a smile before I walked over to Chrissie.

She turned and smiled at me. "Having fun?"

"Yeah, I am."

"By the way, you're welcome."

"For what?"

"Introducing you to some of the coolest people you have ever known, know, and will ever know."

I laughed, but something in my gut told me it was true.


	4. Chapter 4

I sighed impatiently as I watch Chrissie fix her make up. Again.

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot." Chrissie grabbed something off the desk and held it out to me. "Ashley told me to give these to you. She has to be on set so she couldn't be here herself. But she told me she couldn't wait to meet you either later or at the party."

I reached out and grabbed the bangles that she had in her hand. I slipped them on my wrist and smiled at they winked at me in the sunlight. "So, Ashley?" I was twisting my wrist, trying to get the light to catch off the bracelets again.

"Ashley Greene. Alice." Chrissie finally seemed satisfied, so she turned to me and smiled. I smiled back. She really was pretty, even without the make up.

"Come on!" Chrissie laughed as she grabbed my hand and led me outside of the dressing room and back to set. As we neared, I heard voices, implying that they weren't finished with the final scene yet.

"Jasper." I heard Kris say, even though I couldn't see her. "No fair with the mood control thing." I smiled to myself.

"Sorry Bella." A nice, warm, deep voice replied. "Happy… Never mind." I heard some feet moving, and then the director's yell:

"And, cut! Congratulations guys, New Moon filming is officially over."

People were cheering and running onto set. I lost Chrissie somewhere in the mix. Instead of continuing to search, I just stood still and watch everyone on set. They were all so happy, and it made me happy. Kellan came up and grabbed me from behind, distracting me from my observation. I giggled as he spun me around.

"Hell to the yeah!" He shouted loudly over everyone else.

Kris laughed as she found us together, and came over to help me down. "Kellan, I thought that we weren't supposed to give away anything from the script!"

"Wait, that's from the script?" I questioned.

"See what you did, Kellan?"

"What! It was your fault for bringing it up!"

"I might actually have to watch this movie." I murmured to myself before letting out a small laugh.

"You've never seen the movies?" A petite brunette walked up.

I smiled at her before shaking my head. "I was afraid that you all were going to mess up the characters, or that the writer's depiction of the story would be different from the one that I got. But, after meeting you all and watching these two scenes, I really feel like I should watch them."

She let out a laugh as she hugged me. "Hi. I'm Ashley."

"Oh, thanks for the bracelets!" I smiled brightly as we pulled away. "I'm Destiny."

Ashley smiled at me knowingly before she turned and walked away. Someone approached me from behind then and grabbed my hand. I smiled as I realized it was Kyler and grabbed onto his hand just a bit tighter.

"How're you doing?" Kyler questioned in my ear.

I turned to face him completely. "I'm doing great. What about you? I haven't seen you in a while. Where've you been?"

Kyler's eyebrows rose a little more with everything I said until they were completely hidden by his hair. I had been pretty introverted since Dad died, and this was probably the happiest I had felt in quite a while.

"Hey Dez, Ky!" Chrissie's voice called out from on set. "Come here!" Ky and I traded looks as we approached the set.

"Yes, Chrissie?"

"Have you met everyone et?"

"No." Kyler replied before he looked off into the distance.

I nudged him. "I've met quite a few."

"Such as…"

I took a breath. "Peter, Elizabeth, Nikki, Kellan, Ashley, Robert, Kristen and Taylor."

"Well, you certainly met the more famous part of the cast." Chrissie chuckled to herself before continuing. "Everyone else is just going to get changed, then we're going to head out."

"Okay." I agreed with a smile. Kyler just stared off into space. I frowned in his direction, not understanding what had been going on with him recently. He seemed more distant now than ever. I had no idea what to do about it, or how to help him. I chewed on the inside of my lip, but was pulled out of my thoughts by a British voice.

"So, what do you think?"

I turned to Rob and smiled. "About what?"

He slung his arm around me and laughed as he led me away from Chrissie and Ky, leaving my thoughts on the spot. "Everything!"

Kris found me as soon as she was done changing, and Rob went to change instead.

"Finally!" I declared, taking in her outfit. "I'm not the only one dressed up anymore."

Kris laughed as we linked arms to walk off set and wait for the others. "You look really hot, though. I'm pretty sure I saw some drool." She winked at me, but I shrugged it off and made a joke instead.

"From who? Me over Rob or Kellan?"

"Do you really like them?"

I laughed. "They're great guys, but I prefer green eyes to gold."

Kris perked up at this. "So you haven't met everyone yet?"

"I'm not sure it's possible to meet everyone in this endless cast list."

I got smacked lightly for that one. "There are some guys on set with green eyes, and this means that I get to introduce you guys at the party!"

"You Twilight stars are a strange breed. I mean, you have to be. Look at how quickly you accepted me!"

Kris laughed. "Trust me, it was quite a task." Our laughter began to quiet down.

"Alright, alright, alright ladies!" Kellan wedged himself between me and Kris, causing out laughter to start up again. "Who's ready to party?"

Kris and I cheered as we walked out into the afternoon sunlight. I smiled as Kris grabbed Kellan's sunglasses and put them on. Maybe I really did belong with this group, and I wasn't fighting.


	5. Chapter 5

Kyler and I climbed into Christian's car so we could head over to the party. I pulled my iPod back out along with my phone. I scrolled through my playlists for a minute before selecting a random one. I glanced at my phone and did a double take. There was no way I had eight missed texts. I only had five numbers in my phone!

Accessing the texts, I scrolled quickly through them, noticing that six of them were from unknown numbers. I pulled an earphone out and turned to glare at Chrissie. "Who did you give my number to?"

"No one." She said calmly.

"Chrissie."

"No one!"

"Christian."

"No. One."

"Christian Serratos!"

"Robert, Kristin, Nikki, Ash, Kellan and Taylor." Chrissie rushed out.

"Chrissie!"

"Please don't hurt me!"

I rolled my eyes but had to laugh. I sent out a mass text to the numbers, asking them to define who was who. I then checked my two other texts. One was Ash, the other Jasper. I opened Jasper's first.

_*You officially have my permission to go for Jasper. I am over him.*_

Laughing to myself, I opened Ash's next. All his said was to be safe and, if they didn't serve food at the party, I could use the credit card.

The cast had all replied at that point, so I assigned each of their numbers to a name in my contacts. I didn't look away from my phone until the car stopped.

"We're here." Christian announced, taking the keys out of the ignition. My jaw dropped. The hotel was huge and really fancy looking. Chrissie laughed at my reaction before getting out of the car.

Kyler and I followed her lead. "What's so funny?"

"I'm just excited to party with you two!" Chrissie linked her arm into mine while Kyler and I locked hands. She led us past guards, just nodding to them. I rolled my eyes, but followed her. She ushered us into a ballroom, completely decked out for the party. My jaw dropped as I stood in the doorway.

Chrissie just giggled. "Welcome to the party of the century, courtesy of Summit Entertainment."

I looked around, my eyes soaking in the party. It seemed like a tide of people were constantly moving, and it was hard for me to keep up, the absence of my glasses making it that much more difficult for me.

"Come on!" Chrissie tried to pull me into the party, but I dug my heels into the ground.

"No way." We responded in unison.

"Hell yeah!" Kellan announced as he found us, Ashley on his heels. "Now it's a party!" Kellan then proceeded to sling me over his shoulder, ignoring my "Hey!"

"Put me down!" I kicked and punched Kellan, but he just laughed them all off. I sighed in discontent as I stopped trying. Kellan walked straight through the main part of the crowd, scoring me some really weird looks. I began to wave to people, hoping that someone would find Taylor, Kristen or Robert for me. They were the only ones who seemed to be able to talk sense into the teddy bear, but they were missing in action.

Kellan continued to walk as my eyes searched, and I heard him talking to people as if he had someone slung over his shoulder every day. Knowing him, as a matter of fact, he probably did.

"So, Emmet. Are you ever going to let Bella down?" I heard a deep, smooth voice speak up, and I recognized it from the hallway scene they had filmed.

Kellan shifted me, and I attempted to stifle an *oof!* "Nah, don't think so, but thanks for the offer." My kidnapper and the mystery person shared a laugh before large, warm hands gently grabbed my waist and helped me down.

"I'm not too sure, but Edward probably wouldn't like it too much if you ran off with her. As a matter of fact, he might just catch up with you and fight you."

Kellan made a sad face as I faced him, brushing the imaginary dirt off my clothes. "Come on, she's not Bella! Edward wouldn't kick my butt if she wasn't Bella, would he?"

My savior tore his hands away from my waist as if I was the plague itself. I heard him take a step back. "Kellan." His voice was quiet and he took a breath. "Why didn't you tell me she wasn't Kristen?"

He simply shrugged, already distracted. I sighed, glaring at him, before I turned around. "Don't worry about it. Thank you, actually. For saving me. My name is Destiny."

"Jackson." My myst, er, Jackson, didn't look away from Kellan's face. "I apologize for my behavior." His jaw was clenched, so I put my hand on his arm.

"Hey, you helped me." Jackson looked down at me as soon as my hand touched his arm, and my jaw nearly dropped from my face. His eyes were like crystal, reflecting the light so well they seemed translucent.

Even better, they were green.

Jackson gave me a small smirk, and my lips formed a smile without approval from my mind. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm great now." We shared a light laugh. I took my hand away from his arm, and held it out as a peace offering.

His smirk transformed into a complete smile. My eyes studied the way his skin crinkled at the corner of his eyes. He slid his hand into mine.

Now, I have heard people say when you touch someone, you immediately know that they are "the one." Well, that did not happen. We simply continued to smile at each other as we shook hands.

The look in his eyes caught my attention. The one thing I did know was that we were going to be great friends. We would be plunging into a great adventure, and that nothing could stop what was going to happen. I laughed lightly, which made his smile grow more if that was possible.


	6. Chapter 6

*****Jackson's POV*****

The party was crazy, so I stayed towards the edges, walking around. I didn't feel much like going crazy. The band had a gig the next day, and playing with a hang over is hell. Also, the party just didn't hold much interest for me.

I wandered over to the refreshment table and grabbed a bottle of water, chugging almost half of it in one shot. My eyes then scanned the crowd for Ashley. She was supposed to watch Autumn tomorrow for Ben, but I planned on telling her that we wanted to see how she would do on her own. I thought she was going to be fine, but Ben had doubts. So we gave Autumn Ash's number, and it was my job to inform her of the change. I sighed and ran my hands through my hair, still curlier than normal from shooting.

When Ashley was no where to be found, I began to feel frustrated. I should've just gone straight home and slept; there was no point in me being at a party where I knew everyone if I wasn't going to drink and have fun. That was the moment I decided it was time to head home.

I waded my way through the crowds, trying to get to the exit as quickly as I could. Halfway to the door, I saw Kellan was carrying a poor girl over her shoulder. He seemed to be heading directly towards me, so I stopped and sighed.

"So, Emmet. Are you ever going to let Bella down?"Kellan had decided to do this to poor Kris before. She really was abused. But, hey, she was also younger than everyone else, so that gave us a right to pick on her. Come to think of it, Rob and Taylor were pretty much the only ones who ever took her side.

Kellan shifted Kris, and I heard a muffled *oof!* I chuckled silently. "Nah, don't think so, but thanks for the offer." Kellan let out a laugh and I joined in with him as I reached out to help Kris down from a resting spot that must've been very uncomfortable. I grabbed her by the waist to lift her as easily as I could.

"I'm not too sure, but Edward probably wouldn't like it too much if you ran off with her. As a matter of fact, he might just catch up with you and fight you."

Kellan made a sad face as I set Kris down facing him. She brushed the imaginary dirt off her clothes. "Come on, she's not Bella! Edward wouldn't kick my butt if she wasn't Bella, would he?"

I took my hands away quickly from the person that I had assumed would be Kristen. "Kellan." My voice was quiet and I took a breath, attempting to calm the rush of rage that I had just had. Nothing good would come out of getting into a fight, especially over something so insignificant. "Why didn't you tell me she wasn't Kristen?"

He simply shrugged, already distracted. The girl standing between me and Kellan sighed and turned around to face me, but my eyes never left Kellan's face. "Don't worry about it. Thank you, actually. For saving me. My name is Destiny."

"Jackson." My glare worsened as I spoke my next words. "I apologize for my behavior." I clenched my jaw as an attempt to stifle my anger, but I'm sure it wasn't working. I felt a small hand come to rest on my arm.

"Hey, you helped me." I looked down at Destiny as soon as her hand touched my arm, and I watched her jaw slacken. I simply blinked.

I had to admit, though. Destiny was hot. She was about up to my chin, with medium length brown hair that had red in it as she moved her head. Her eyes were pale green, similar to mine. I allowed my lips to form a smirk, and her smile back was instant.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm great now." We shared a light laugh. She removed her hand from my arm and held it out to shake.

My smirk transformed into a complete smile. Her eyes watched mine crinkle. I slid my hand into hers at that point. They were small and warm, but nice. I then mentally smacked myself for calling a girls hands nice. I didn't even know this poor girl!

The bracelets on her wrist winked me back into my right mind, and I removed my hand from hers, finally breaking our eye contact. "Well, it was nice to meet you." I walked away briskly as she ran her hand through her hair. I evacuated the building as quickly as I could, sucking in gulps of fresh air. I ransacked my pockets for my cigarettes, finding them, and a lighter, in my front pockets. I quickly lit one, inhaling deeply.

There was no way that I could even think of this girl romantically. With Eclipse and Airbender, I was so busy all the time, and the band was beginning to become quite popular. M. Night Shyamalan also wanted me to be seen with Nicola. It was something promotional or something like that.

I finished my cigarette, stamping the end out with my boot. Sighing, I walked back to my car. I might as well head back to the flat and hang out with Ben and Autumn before we leave. As soon as I opened the driver's door, I closed it and opened the back door to pull out Annabelle. My pace was brisk as I walked back inside to the elevator. The party wasn't really my scene right now, and playing Annabelle would help me think.

The elevator was empty as I entered it, hitting the top floor button. I really hoped it would stay that way as I leaned against the cool mirrors. The ride continued all the way up with out stopping. I walked out, looking around for a staircase that I hoped would lead me to the roof. I found a door cracked and walked to it without another thought. It was a staircase.

I continued to go up, humming lightly. My humming quieted as I heard a voice, gentle at first. I followed it to the very top, where another door was cracked. I saw Destiny sitting on a roof fixture, the name of which I was unsure. I kept my mouth shut as she continued to sing.

"I can be your favorite blue jeans/ With the holes in the knees at the bottom of the top drawer./ I can be your little beauty queen/ just a little outta reach/ or the girl livin' next door./ I'll be your angel giving up her wings./ If that's what you need,/ I'd give everything/ to be your anything."

She stopped at that, but I found myself wanting her to continue. I walked over and sat down next to her. She noticed me, and immediately went to stand up, but I shook my head and smiled.

"Actually, if you care for some accompaniment, I brought Annabelle." I held her up. When Destiny didn't say anything, I continued. "Or, you can continue to sing A cappella." When she still didn't respond, I gave up and began strumming. A song popped into my mind. One that I had sworn never to play again. But, it was now or never.

My fingers found the chords as I began to sing, thinking back to my high school production of Grease; "C, C, C, C, C, C, A, A, A, A minor, F, F, F, F, F, F, G, G, G, G7."

"What's that playing on the radio?" Autumns voice joined mine, much to my surprise. However, I sang the next line alone;

"Why do I start swaying to and fro?"

I didn't sing the next line to see if she would, and I wasn't disappointed. "I have never heard that song before."

We went back and forth until the song was finished.

I played the last few chords before looking up at her. I smiled and held my hand out. "Jackson."

She smiled and placed her hand in mine. "Destiny."


	7. Chapter 7

******Destiny's POV******

"You actually did that?" I giggled.

"Yes, I did."

"But you didn't know the girl!"

"Well, her friend wasn't there and I was complimented at how much her friend liked me, so I decided to help her out a bit."

I giggled again. "You're really good with your fans."

"I try." He winked at me.

Jackson and I had been sitting on the roof talking… Well, since he came up here. I t was really cool, being able to just talk to someone.

Jackson checked his watch. "Shit."

"Damn."

"What?" He asked, his confusion in reaction to mine.

I shrugged. "Six, half dozen."

He chuckled. "Come on, I think the party's breaking up soon."

I looked out at the sunset, taking a moment to let the beautiful California sunset make its place in my memory. I wanted to remember this moment- the moment I met the person with whom I would quickly become best friends.

He hopped down and offered his hand to me.

"Do we have to?" God I sounded like a four year old.

"Yes."

"Fine, Dad." I murmured, ignoring his hand as I jumped down.

He groaned. "Please, do NOT remind me that I am old enough to be a father."

"You could be a dad."

He rolled his eyes. "How did you jump off of that while wearing heels?"

I looked at my feet in surprise. What do you know, I was still wearing those God forsaken heels. "I have no idea." He chuckled as I pulled them off before we walked down the stairs.

"Are you always like this?"

"Like what?"

"I'm… Not sure." He laughed, running a hand through his hair.

I watched him, raising an eyebrow. "You do that a lot."

"Be not sure?"

I smacked him lightly before I called the elevator. "Run your hand through your hair."

"You hold onto your necklace a lot."

My hand flew up to my neck as we stepped into the elevator, simply proving his point. I giggled with him, knowing that I did.

"My necklace or my charm bracelet. It depends on the day and the outfit. They're my touchstones- my last reminders of my parents."

I felt Jackson's eyes on me as I studied the pattern of the floor. He grabbed my shoes from me, making me look up at him. He smiled. "A woman never carries her own things."

"Well, aren't we the gentleman." I giggled.

"My parents taught me well."

I smiled at him as we walked back into the party. His parents certainly had done a good job with manners. He had been a complete gentleman the entire time I had been around him. I was about to comment on this when Chrissie spotted me.

"Dezzy! My favorite cousin!" She ran over to us and giggled as she launched herself into my arms.

I blinked. "Hey, Chris."

"Where've you been?"

She reeked of alcohol. "On the roof… Chrissie, have you been drinking?"

"I've only had one beer." She held up three fingers.

Jackson and I traded looks. "Give me your keys?"

"Aww, why?"

"Because I don't want to get into another wreck, now _forniscami le vostre chiavi scopanti!" I had a tendency to speak in Italian whenever I got mad, something I had inherited from my dad._

"_Dezzy, it's not that big of a deal." She looked scared._

_I sighed and put a hand out. "Keys. Now."_

_She grabbed them out of her pocket and went to put them in my hand, but another hand reached out and grabbed them before I could._

"_Hey!"_

_I looked at Jackson who was spinning the key ring on his pointer finger. "How old are you?"_

_His eyes connected with mine. I knew I couldn't lie when he was looking at me, so I groaned. "Fifteen." _

_He winced. "Alright, I'll drive you all home. Ashley will follow me in my car since we were sharing anyway."_

"_Jackson, you don't have-" I was cut off when he held one finger up to me. He opened his phone, calling who I assumed was Ashley. I looked away as they spoke, searching for Chrissie again in the crowd. She was in the middle of the dance floor with some guy I didn't recognize._

"_Alright, meet us outside in fifteen minutes. Thanks, bye." Jackson spoke into the phone. I looked at him._

_He smiled slightly. "Can you find Kyler? I'll drive you three back to Chrissie's house."_

_I nodded and hugged him. "Thank you." I murmured into his neck where I had place my head. I then pulled away and went to find Kyler._

_I found him standing by the food table, sipping a beer._

"_Kyler!" I said, knocking it out of his hand. "You are too young to drink!"_

_He simply shrugged and bent down to pick it up, polishing what bit was left. I pulled it out of his hand before dragging him towards the door. Jackson was waiting there, a very wasted Chrissie holding onto his arm and giggling constantly. I giggled at the wary look he was giving her._

"_Thank goodness, you found him." I watched him carefully take his arm out of Chrissie's grip, only to have her grab on again. He sighed, letting her hold on. Our eyes connected and I winked at him._

"_Alright, so Ashley's got your keys and we're taking Chrissie's car." I confirmed with Jackson._

_He nodded. "She'll follow us back to Chrissie's apartment before I drive her home, then I'm heading back to my flat."_

_I frowned. "Are you sure you want to do all of that driving? I have my permit and a licensed driver over 18 in the car with me."_

"_Get your ass in that car and shut your mouth." Jackson raised an eyebrow._

"_Fine, Dad." I smirked when he groaned._

"_Alright." He slid into the driver's side after we had Kyler and Chrissie situated in the back. "I know where I'm going, so no worries."_

_I winced. "This isn't the first time this has happened, is it."_

_He knew it wasn't a question, so he simply started the car. I chatted with him lightly on the way home, mainly attempting to let him focus on the road. I stole his cowboy hat at one point, purposely while we were at a main intersection._

"_Hey!" He protested, but I held it as far away as the car would allow. He sighed and put his attention back on the road. I giggled in triumph, placing the hat on my head._

_The ride was long, and I began to doze against the window, relaxing to Jackson's soft humming along with the quiet radio. The next thing I knew, something was shaking me. I opened my eyes to find Jackson smiling at me._

"_What?" I asked as I yawned, stretching as well as I could in a confined space._

_He smirked. "You're cute when you sleep."_

"_Oh, shut it." I pushed him and he laughed. That was when I realized that we weren't moving. I looked up to see the apartment complex where Chrissie stays._

"_We're here," he chuckled._

"_So we are." I got out of the car and opened the back door to help Chrissie and Ky out._

_Jackson helped me get them up to Chrissie's apartment but, much to my amusement, would not get her keys from her back pocket. I grabbed them and unlocked the door, walking inside. Kyler was practically asleep as I dragged him to the couch. I sighed and leaned against the back, facing the hallway that led to the bedroom. I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose._

_A door closed and I opened my eyes to find Jackson standing over me, smiling a little bit. He sat down beside me, allowing me to place my head on his shoulder._

"_Hey, we need to talk." He said quietly._

_I groaned, leaning completely into him. "I suppose we do."_


	8. Chapter 8

Jackson wrapped an arm around me. "What's wrong?"

"Ky was drinking." I sighed. "He's been like this we moved in with Ash. I don't know what to do. I mean, Ash is so busy all the time."

"So, he was drinking. How old is he?"

"Fifteen. We're twins."

Jackson winced again. "Wow. And you haven't told anyone."

I shook my head against his shoulder.

"You know, you have a lot on your shoulders. Why not spill one secret?"

I sighed. "You aren't going to like this."

"Like what?"

"If I were to tell Ash that Kyler drinks, he would tell Ash that I smoke."

He groaned and hit his head on the couch. "Please tell me you mean cigarettes."

"I only have one every now and then. I'm not addicted, and I only do it whenever I am completely ticked or hurt or… Something along those lines."

"You know, you and your brothers sounded like the perfect trio when Christian was describing you all to us."

"I'm sure we sound like it." I groaned.

Jackson chuckled, squeezing my shoulders lightly. "Well, even with flaws, you're still perfect."

I looked at him.

"For a favor I need."

I giggled, trying to play off my shock. "What do you need?"

"I need you to come over tomorrow and look after Autumn."

"Is that your dog?"

"Nope." He smirked. "It's the dog's little sister."

I choked on air at that point. "Pardon?"

He laughed loudly, causing me to shush him through my own laugh. "Close. Very close." He calmed down before continuing. "She's Ben, my room- and bandmates' little sister. I'm pretty sure she's fifteen."

"Then why does she need to be looked after?"

"Because," he fidgeted, "of something I can't tell you."

I nodded. "Alright."

"Where's your phone?"

I grabbed the bag I had set down beside me and rummaged through it to grab the Katana which was, once again, on the bottom of my bag. I pondered this for a moment when I handed Jackson my phone, letting my thoughts trail off to la la land for a moment.

"Jasper?" Jacksons' voice was amused as I looked at my phone.

"He's my best friend." I nudged him. "Shall I prove it to you?"

"In just a sec." He chuckled and glanced at the rest of my contacts. "Rob, Kris, Nikki, Ash, Kellan, Taylor, Chrissie, Ash, Kyler and Jasper. Interesting."

I rolled my eyes. "Chrissie apparently passed my number around the set. Before that I only had four numbers."

"Apparently, I missed it." He chuckled before creating a contact. I let him do his thing as I reached into by bag and grabbed the iTouch which was, as usual, right on top. I stuck my tongue out at my phone before switching the iTouch on. I shoved an earphone into my left ear so I could hear Jackson and activated my Touch Touch Revolution app.

I hummed along to the random song. I never really had any want to choose my own song, so I always chose a random one with hard and/or expert settings.

My fingers tapped away as I played, totally zoned out before I was thirty seconds in. Only when the song ended did I look up to find Jackson looking at the screen over my shoulder.

I jumped. "Shit, Jackson, don't do that!"

"Damn." He responded with a raised eyebrow.

I laughed, remembering this from earlier.

"Six, half dozen." We said at the same time. I laughed and leaned back into him as he placed his arm around my shoulders once more.

"So, are you going to play another song?" He motioned to my iTouch just as his phone went off.

I groaned. "You have to go, don't you."

"Ash is out in the car, so I do."

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

He nodded and gave me a crooked smile. "Yes, ma'am."

I giggled into my arm, trying to hide the small blush that had appeared. Jackson winked before he turned to leave.

"Oh, Jackson!" I called, standing up.

"Hmmm?" He stuck his head back inside the door.

I smirked. "Can I have my phone back?"

"Whoops." He looked down into his hand with a laugh before tossing it to me. I caught it in my right hand, quirking an eyebrow. "I put my number along with Bens' and Autumns'. You don't have to text any of us, but if you wanted to introduce yourself to Autumn and maybe get to know her before tomorrow, it'd be nice."

"Alright. Oh, one more question."

He groaned. "Another one?"

"How am I going to get there?"

He sighed and glanced out the door way. "I'll text you once we have everything figured out."

"Okay." I said before running over to him and wrapping my arms around his neck tightly for only a second.

"Thanks." I whispered before breaking away.

He smiled at me. "No, thank you."

I watched him leave the apartment, smiling slightly. I waited for a minute, standing by the door way before swinging it shut. My stomach growled then. I looked at it and frowned, poking my bellybutton.

It growled again.

I laughed. "Okay, you win."

I walked over into the kitchen to find fully stocked cabinets. I grabbed some guacamole from the fridge along with a bag of Tostitos and sat down at her island, snacking.

After a few chips, I flipped open my phone to see if Jackson really had put the numbers in there. Sure enough, I had three new contacts.

I leaned back in my seat and stared at Jackson's name for a few minutes.

That man certainly was a piece of work.

I sent a text to Autumn before finishing up my snack. I looked at the clock and realized that it was almost eleven, so she might not be awake. I packed everything up and put it away before walking into the bathroom.

I washed my face, taking special time to study my reflection. After a tough decision, I brushed my teeth with my finger (ugh) and stole a pair of Chrissie's sweats and a tank for bed. I used a hair band from my bag to pull it up and walked into the spare bedroom. I settled down on the bed with my iTouch on high, letting the music lull me to sleep.

That night, I dreamed about guitars and green eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

_"Five hundred, twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes/ five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear…"_

I groaned as I rolled over and started poking my iTouch, trying to get it to shut up. I hadn't had enough sleep yet, and nothing could motivate me to move. My phone went off beside me and I opened my eyes in surprise. Jackson's name appeared on the screen, and I sat up before answering.

Okay, maybe I could be motivated.

"What do you want."

"Good morning to you too, sunshine." Jackson gently chuckled into the phone, causing me to sigh.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "You didn't answer my question."

His laugh came through, full-fledged this time. "You're right. Is today still going to work for you?"

"God fucking damn it."

"Is that a yes or no?"

It was my turn to laugh. "Yes, I just have to make myself motivated enough to move."

"Well… I can motivate you."

"Good luck with that."

"Would seeing my lovely face in half an hour sufficient motivation."

"Nope." I flopped back down on my bed.

"How about… calling Rob and having him go to Chrissie's and throw a bucket of cold water on you?"

I looked down and realized my tank top was white. "Alright, alright, I'm moving."

Jackson laughed again. "Good girl. I'll be over in half an hour, to pick up you and Kyler. After the two of you get home, you can do whatever you need to get ready, and then we'll head out to my flat. You'll be spending the night, just to let you know."

I groaned as I stretched. "I'm not sure Ash would be okay with that."

"Oh, he is."

"… What?"

"I took his number out of your phone last night while you were distracted and texted him about it. He's cool with everything."

"Jackson… I don't know your middle name Rathbone, you are strange. And slightly creepy."

"Half an hour. Be ready."

"Fine. Bye, creep."

"Good bye, sunshine."

I laughed as I hung up my phone.

"You do know that you were flirting with him, right?"

I screamed and turned around to find Ky standing in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest.

He chuckled. "Just stating a fact."

I watched in awe as my twin turned around and walked out of the room without batting an eyelid.

"We have half an hour!" I called to him, realizing he hadn't heard both sides of the conversation.

"Then I'm going to shower. Breakfast is on the table."

I looked at myself in the mirror, contemplating whether or not I should shower as well, before deciding I'd shower at home. I fixed my hair and switched into the tank top I had on under my shirt at the party. After debating it for a minute, I stole a pair of Chrissie's jeans to pull on as well. I threw the sweats and tank top into the laundry hamper before walking into the kitchen, inhaling the sweet smell of Kyler's cooking.

He wasn't kidding about breakfast, either. Eggs, pancakes, and bacon were laid out on the table, perfectly cooked. But that was normal. Ky is an amazing chef.

I first headed to the coffee maker, where a cup was already set up for me. I poured some coffee into the cup before taking a deep gulp. I looked at the food on the table before deciding against it. I took another gulp of my coffee and pulled myself onto the counter, pulling my Katana out to check the time. We had about five minutes before Jackson would pick us up.

Kyler walked out of the bathroom, wearing an undershirt and his slacks from last night. I chuckled, knowing he didn't have anything to change into.

"Nothing for breakfast?"

"Coffee."

Ky sighed. "Then at least helped me put everything away."

I quickly located the aluminum foil and we began to pack everything away for Chrissie at another time. There was a knock on the door half way through, so I danced over and let Jackson in, dancing away without a word.

"Well that was weird." Jackson's voice reached us as he walked towards the kitchen.

"You get used to it." Kyler handed me the final package, the bacon, to put in the fridge. I put it on a shelf and deftly closed the door before turning to look at the boys.

"You all set?"

Kyler nodded and walked over to the living room where my bag was set. He gestured to it, and Jackson nodded in approval. I quickly scribbled a note for Chrissie on a piece of paper that I stuck to her phone, hoping she would see it there. I kissed her forehead before Jackson lead us outside to his car. Ky settled into the backseat as I climbed into the front.

"So can you give me directions to your house?"

I Laughed. "Out of everything you did last night, you forgot to ask for directions?"

"Yeah. I'm a dude. I don't think about it."

I shook my head. "Don't worry. I know where we're going."

As soon as I had Jackson on the highway headed towards our house, I had Ky pass me my phone. Of course, it was at the bottom of my bag. Big shocker.

I was surprised to see that I had three missed texts. _*When did I suddenly become popular?*_

The first one was from Jackson, letting me know he was at the apartment building, which made me laugh. The second was from Kristen, asking me if I could hang out. The third was from Autumn, apologizing for not replying the night before.

"Jackson?"

"Destiny?"

"What time are you guys going to be home tonight?"

"It depends. Probably around eight or nine. Why?"

"Kristen asked me if we could hang out and I wanted to know if you all would be okay with having everyone over to your apartment."

Jackson smiled and shook his head. "I'll check with Ben. Did Autumn reply?"

"Yeah, I'm going to reply in a minute. Take that exit, turn right, and then there's about a two minute drive until our neighborhood. We're the third house on the left."

"What?"

I laughed. "Ky, can you help him? I'm going to reply to Autumn."

Ky gave Jackson pretty much the exact same directions I had given him as I thought about a reply.

*Dear Autumn, I hope you're ready for today, because I'm kind of a crazy person. I can't wait to meet you, because Jackson made you sound absolutely wonderful. I really hope we hit it off. Xoxo, Destiny.*

"We're here." Jackson turned the engine off as I looked up at him and smiled.


	10. Chapter 10

"Ash!" I called out as I led our small party into the house.

"Upstairs in the studio." My brother's voice rang out down to us, so Ky and I both raced up the stairs.

"Ashey!" I squealed as I threw my arms around his neck.

He chuckled and hugged me back. "Hey Dezzy, Ky." He fist bumped Kyler quickly before putting his arms back around me. "I hear little one is leaving us again."

"I'm only three inches shorter than you!" I pouted.

"Yeah, and five years younger. Now go get ready." Ash kissed my forehead before shooing me away. I smiled and danced away to my room. I heard Jackson and Ash talking about the studio as I walked away, which made me happy. I wanted them to be friends.

A shower later, I felt much better. "Hey Jackson?" I called down to the studio from my room.

"What?"

"How should I dress?"

There was silence for a minute. "Is that really what you're concerned about right now?"

"Answer the question if you feel like making it to your gig on time."

He sighed. "Probably a t-shirt or tank top and shorts would work the best, just in case you girls decide to walk somewhere for food or something."

"Okay. Give me ten minutes and I'll be ready," I ducked back inside my room and found an appropriate outfit. I pulled my hair back into a pony tail before sliding on my glasses and bracelet. After clasping my necklace on, I opened my door and sighed.

"Ready." I smiled at Jackson.

"Alright… Are you sure you have everything?"

"Uhm…" Ky handed me my bag, which held everything. I chuckled and pulled out my iPod and wallet before digging for my phone.

"I'm going to get a phone holder one of these days." I grumbled as I grabbed it from the bottom of the bag. "Ha!" I held my phone up in triumph.

"You also need an overnight bag." Ash chuckled at my predicament as my face fell. Kyler pushed me back towards my room, causing me to sigh. I ran around and made sure I had everything I would need. A change of clothes, pajamas, toothbrush and paste, face wash…

"Chargers!" I declared before grabbing my phone charger and iPod charger and shoved them into my bag.

"Now, I am absolutely sure I am all set." I announced.

Ash chuckled as he kissed the top of my head. "Good. I'll see you tomorrow. Text me if anything changes."

"Of course. Let me know if my letter gets here?"

Kyler stepped over to me. "I'll make sure to call you the instant it arrives."

I laughed like only my twin can make me and held out my thumb to him. He linked his through before hugging me close.

"Love you, little one." Ash called after me as Jackson and I walked away. I groaned as he chuckled. I threw my bag into the back of Jackson's car before climbing into the passenger's seat.

"Don't worry, Ash gave me instructions. I know where I'm going now."

I laughed. "They grow up so quickly."

"So I asked Ben about having everyone over."

"And… ?"

"He's all for it. He made up a grocery list and he said we'll have you girls run out and get everything for us."

"Child labor is against the law."

"Whatever."

I laughed and pulled my phone out of my pocket. Autumn had texted back, so I quickly accessed the text.

*Destiny, I'm sure we'll become fast friends. Thanks for your text, and I can't wait to meet you. Autumn.*

"Huh. Well that made my text seem overly gooey."

Jackson laughed. "What are you talking about?"

I briefly explained the texts to him, and he just chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds about like Autumn. She's a great girl, but she's unsure of how to hold herself around most people."

I nodded. "Okay, duly noted."

"You know, you look really different."

"What do you mean?" I reached up and grabbed my necklace, afraid to hear what came next.

"With your glasses on and not, shall we say, dressed to the nines."

"Oh."

"Hey," Jackson's voice was gentle, "I never said it was bad. Just different."

I smiled slightly and stared out the window. "I know. Last night was… strange, to say the least. To be dressed up like that. This is me."

"And that's what makes it beautiful."

I looked at Jackson in surprise, but he didn't seem to have said anything. He was focused on the road.

He turned to me and smiled briefly. "Do you want to plug in your iPod? We have about a half hour before we reach the flat."

"Sure." I said, shrugging it off. Maybe he really hadn't said anything. I pulled my iTouch out of my pocked and hooked it up with the auxiliary cord sitting in the cup holder.

"Any preferences?"

"Just make it better than the music on the radio."

I chuckled before turning on the Eagles. I saw Jackson grin out of the corner of my eye, so I let the album play. By the time we were a few songs in, Jackson had parked the car. I sat for a moment before grabbing my iPod and getting out of the car. Jackson smiled back at me, and I noticed he had grabbed my bag. I followed behind him as he walked into the flat.

"Ben, Autumn, we're here!" He called out as he placed my bag down next to the couch. I stood in the doorway and waited for something to happen.

"In the kitchen!" A male voice- Ben- responded, before a crash resounded. I winced and followed Jackson into the kitchen.

Jackson stopped short and burst into laughter, causing me to run into him.

"Hey! What was that about?" I asked before peeking around Jackson to see Ben sitting on the floor with a cookie jar in his hands and an overturned chair next to him.

"I wanted a cookie." Ben responded before opening the jar.

Jackson sighed and pressed the heel of his palms into his eyes. "Ben… Go get ready."

"I'm not five you know." Ben pouted.

I laughed. "Says the guy sitting cross-legged, pouting, in the middle of the kitchen, with his hand in the cookie jar."

"Doesn't matter. There aren't any cookies in there anyway." Ben shrugged and pulled his hand out. The cookie jar went back on the counter and Ben walked by me without saying anything more.

"Yeah, I really have no explanation for that." Jackson laughed.

I smiled. "Is he always like that?"

"No. Normally he has some maturity." An unfamiliar female voice joined our conversation.

"Hi, Autumn." I smiled and waved at her.


	11. Chapter 11

Autumn gave me a closed mouth smile before walking over to Jackson and wrapping her arms around his waist. I smiled at the two of them as he kissed the top of her head before I looked around the kitchen.

"How stocked is everything?" I asked, not sure what else to say.

"You might want to stock everything up while you're at the grocery store." Jackson chuckled and shook his head. "Autumn will show you where the closest one is, if she doesn't feel like going out."

"Okay…" I mumbled as Autumn let go of Jackson and walked over to me. I stayed still as she surveyed my eyes.

"You have a story to tell." She said softly.

I smiled and grabbed her wrist, flipping it over to show the scars. "So do you."

Jackson looked between the two of us in surprise, but didn't say anything. Ben walked into the kitchen as I released Autumn.

"Alright girls. I called and checked with Uncle, and he said we should be home by eight at the latest. We'll shower and then help you two set up for the party."

"Party?" Autumn's eyes widened slightly.

Ben was quick to reassure her; "Only some of the vampire cast. Kristen, Nikki, Ashley, Kellan, Robert, and Taylor."

She nodded mutely before Ben grabbed her in a huge hug. I smiled; it was obvious he was a good brother.

"Destiny, thanks for hanging here for the day." Ben smiled at me after he pulled away.

"No problem. I'm excited, honestly."

Jackson smiled at me and held a credit card out to me. "For the store."

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay with me signing for it?"

"Sure." He shrugged. "Just be sure to sign your own name."

I smiled and shook my head as I slid the credit card into my wallet.

"So both of you have our phone numbers. Call or text if you all need anything." Ben smiled as he pulled me in for a quick hug. I pulled back momentarily in surprise before hugging him back. Jackson quickly hugged me for a moment after that, and then the guys headed towards the door.

"Ben!" I called after them.

"Huh?"

"What type of cookies do you want?"

He laughed. "Chocolate chip."

"Alright." I smiled at the guys before they headed out.

Autumn tapped my shoulder. "Do you want to go out now or later?"

"I figured now would be easier… That is, if you want to."

"Sure." She shrugged. "I'll drive."

"You can drive? I thought Jackson said you're fifteen."

She gave me half a smile. "I'm sixteen. I can drive. Jackson is just convinced I'm fifteen."

"Alright then… To your car!" I announced, leading the way through the door. Autumn followed me quietly.

After we were settled into her car, Autumn asked me the question I'd been waiting for. "How did you know?"

"I had issues myself for a long time. I used to cut and I still smoke occasionally to deal with everything."

"But what gave it away? Not every quiet kid cuts."

"I know that. My twin doesn't, and he's practically mute. Your eyes gave it away, the way you could read mine."

She nodded and found a parking spot quickly. I jumped out of the car and followed her inside. I grabbed a cart and asked Autumn if she wanted to ride in it. After looking at me like I was crazy for a minute, she got into the main part of the cart and I pushed her into the store.

Let me tell you, we were on the receiving end of some very strange looks.

"Alright. So we need stuff for the cabinets and for the party tonight." I stated as I pushed Autumn through the produce section. "Anything from here?" I received a head shake in response.

"Okay, then let's start with chips and snacks." I smiled as I found the isle with snacks and began to pile everything up on Autumn.

"Hey, not on me." She said.

I giggled. "Sorry."

Five bags of chips and two giant bags of candy later, we started down the baking isle. I grabbed chocolate chips after being told that was the only ingredient they didn't have.

Next we went to the drink isle. Autumn pointed out all the sodas that the guys would drink if it was left over. I went to grab beer, because it's a party, before realizing that I couldn't buy it. Autumn shook her head at me before telling me to go get meats. We found premade hamburgers and hotdogs, along some Steak-umms for their freezer. I also made sure to grab some ice cream while we were in the frozen isle. After finding the rolls and condiments necessary, we grabbed some fruit snacks. Apparently, Ben loved them for midnight snacks.

Whatever.

We went through a self check out relatively quickly, with Autumn handing me everything from inside the cart. I smiled as I slid Jackson's card and signed off for it before we headed out to Autumn's car. The groceries were put into the trunk before we sat down in the front seats.

"Now. For lunch." Autumn said as she turned the AC on.

I shaded my eyes so I could look around. "Wherever you want."

Autumn opened up the glove compartment and took out a pair of sunglasses for herself and one for me. I smiled before sliding them on to my face. We drove through a McDonalds nearby, getting our food and smoothies. Autumn paid with cash for both our meals, despite my protest. I sighed before we headed home.


	12. Chapter 12

"We never finished our discussion earlier."

I looked up from my food and smiled at Autumn. "You're right, we didn't. Go ahead and ask anything you want, I won't hold back."

"What started it?"

"Finding out about my mother. It turns out she was raped, which is how Kyler, my twin, and I were born. She walked out on my father when we were one because she said she couldn't stand to see us anymore. I also was in a controlling relationship for a while, but my older brother helped me out of it before it became abusive."

Autumn closed her eyes and inhaled slightly. "What ended it?"

"Well, I stopped cutting myself when my dad died in a car crash with me in the passenger's seat. I have a scar across my stomach from the crash." I took a deep drink of my smoothie, trying to remember exactly when it had stopped. "I stopped smoking as much at that point, down to where I only have one a month- maybe. But I can't bring myself to cut again every time I see my scar. That's also why I don't show my stomach."

She nodded and we sat in silence for a minute.

"Jackson… Saved me."

I smiled. "He seems like that kind of guy."

"No, he saved me pretty much the way your brother saved you."

"Pretty much?"

"That's why we're so close."

I nodded slowly, eating a fry as I thought. "Care to say anything more?"

"Not at the moment."

"Then how about we work on making those cookies for your brother."

Autumn quirked an almost smile. "I'll show you where all the ingredients are."

I chuckled. "Thank you kindly."

After collecting all the ingredients, which involved shifting almost everything in their cabinets to locate their baking supplies, I began slowly. Although Kyler is definitely the cook of the family, I've always been better with baking.

"You want a taste?" I teased Autumn when the batter was finished.

She nodded shyly, so I giggled and gave her a small spoonful for a taste. She ate it slowly as I began to scoop out the batter and put the soon-to-be cookies into the oven.

"I used to love baking." Autumn murmured. "We used to have some sort of baked good every other week when Ben and I still lived at home."

I giggled. "That sounds like my house. My dad wanted to keep me entertained when he had company, so he would either tell me to practice the piano or bake something."

"You play the piano?"

"Not as well as I used to, seeing as I haven't touched one in over six months. But yes, I suppose you can say I do."

"I'm going to this arts school in the fall on a music scholarship. Piano is the first instrument I picked up."

I shot her a sideways glance as I switched the baked cookies out for more raw ones. "What arts school?"

"I'm not sure if you've heard of it, but it's called Interlochen."

I smiled slightly. "My brother is going there on a percussion scholarship, and I'm one of the finalists for a scholarship in the written arts."

"Really? So we're going to school together?"

I smiled at her. "It would seem like it."

"I'm just entering as a junior, though. I didn't apply up until this year."

"I'll be a junior, too. My dad had my brother and I both moved up a grade when we were in elementary school."

"So I take it you're going to outsmart me."

I giggled. "Only if you're extremely stupid. I'm just lucky. Kyler's the intelligent one."

"Did you know Jackson and Ben went to Interlochen together? They graduated in the class of 2003. They also went there with Ben J, whom I'm guessing will end up showing up tonight."

I pulled the final tray of cookies out and slid them onto a cooling rack. "They make me feel so young."

"I know. Imagine living with them."

I laughed as I walked over to the couch and sat down, Autumn only a few steps behind me.

"Is there any chance you guys own a copy of 'Twilight'?"

Autumn smirked. "Ben and I give Jackson a copy of every movie he stars in."

"I'm sure he adores that."

"Of course." Autumn stood up and walked over to a bookshelf stocked with movies. She found "Twilight" and put in into the DVD player before sitting back down next to me.

I watched the movie intently, recognizing most of the events from the book. I was focused up until Jasper appeared on screen. I burst into laughter, much to the bemusement of Autumn.

"Jackson looks weird with his hair like that." I announced after I had caught my breath.

Autumn smirked. "I suppose."

Okay, confession time. I was converted. In the two and a half hours it took us to watch the movie, I fell in love with it. The plot line was similar enough that I wanted to watch it again, but Autumn denied that request. I stuck my tongue out at her before we turned on the regular television.

"So should we have dinner?" Autumn asked.

I pulled out my phone. "It's only four thirty. If you want to get a snack, we have enough time before the guys will be home."

"How about we go get Tropical Smoothie instead?"

I hi-fived her. "You are a genius. But I'm paying this time."

Autumn laughed the first actual laugh I had heard from her the entire day. I smiled as we walked out to her car.


	13. Chapter 13

After buying our smoothies, Autumn and I drove back to the house to relax. I ended up putting the cookies in the cookie jar before going and lying down on the couch.

"Truth or dare?" Autumn asked me from the chair she was reclining in.

I laughed. "Just ask me whatever you want to know."

"Do you like Jackson?"

I shrugged. "I met him yesterday. I feel like we're just going to be friends."

"Why?"

"I'm not exactly the kind of girl guys like. Also, there's quite an age gap between us."

"Eleven years."

I laughed. "Oh god, he's twenty-six? Well now I feel young. I knew he was older than me, but I didn't know that much."

"I had a crush on him for a while." Autumn got up and walked over to a guitar. "He's just… really easy to fall for."

"No kidding. He's got his own fan club, doesn't he?"

"It wouldn't surprise me." She sat down with the guitar in her lap and began to strum a few chords. I watched with interest as I sucked on my smoothie.

"I don't normally sing in front of people." She confessed.

"I'll sing with you. I don't sing very well, but I can try."

"Do you know FucKIN Perfect by P!nk?"

I nodded. "Made a wrong turn, once or twice…"

Autumn strummed before she began to sing with me. "Dug my way out, blood and fire."

"Bad decisions," I continued on my own, "That's alright."

"Welcome to my silly life." Autumn finished.

We worked our way through the song, covering for each other when we didn't know the words.

"I guess we have a similar taste in music." I told her when the song was through.

She strummed a few random cords. "Maybe, but it would surprise me. I listen to a lot of music."

I glanced at my watch, groaning when I realized it was only six. "Two more hours."

"Well then, I'm glad I bore you so much." Autumn responded. Without giving me a chance to apologize, she stood up and walked off. I tried calling after her, but she slammed her door and didn't respond when I knocked. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Destiny?" Autumn had opened her door, and I looked up in surprise. I didn't have any time to react before she shot me in the face with a NERF gun.

I gasped in surprise and she smirked before throwing me my own gun. I immediately shot her back, and she ran out of her room into the living room. I hid behind the couch as she set up a base between the table and chair. Catching on, I took a blanket and made my own fort in the kitchen with the island.

"It's on now!" I called from inside my fort.

Autumn responded: "Get ready to loose."

Oh, it was so on.

I began to devise the best way to get to her without exposing myself, so I hid behind the island. When I peeked around, Autumn was fixing her fort.

"For Narnia!" I yelled as I charged her fort. She gasped in surprise as I ran up shooting her and grabbed her spare ammo. I then quickly retreated back to my own fort, but guarded it as Autumn ran back into her room.

I took a minute to reload my gun before peeking back out to see she was still in her room. I didn't stand outside her doorway: that's what she was expecting. Instead, I invaded her fort.

Her doorway opened and she immediately began firing, because she expected me to be there. When I wasn't, Autumn snuck over and checked my fort, before walking into hers, where I ambushed her.

Needless to say, it got worse from there.

Two hours later, when the door opened, the people walking in were attacked with NERF bullets.

"Hey, hey, we come in peace!" One of them yelled. Autumn and I both held our fire long enough to realize it was Jackson, Ben, and two more guys I didn't recognize. The guys started looking around the apartment, and they all burst into laughter.

"Note to self: lock away all NERF guns to avoid clean up next time Destiny comes over." Jackson chuckled again.

I shrugged sheepishly before Autumn and I started cleaning up the bullets. I watched one of the guys I didn't know walk over and inspect my fort, which had moved to on top of the island.

"Who ever had this fort won. Like, to an extreme."

I laughed. "That would be me." I smiled at the two guys. "I'm Destiny."

Jackson chuckled. "This is Ben J and Jerad. They're both in the band with us."

"Nice to meet you." I nodded towards them before continuing to clean up.

After everything from our epic battle had been cleaned, we started to set up for the party.

"Nice loot, girls." Ben commented as he looked at the set up.

I winked at Autumn. "We try. Oh, by the way Jackson, we lost your credit card."

He rolled his eyes at me. "Cough it up."

I blinked. "No, seriously. We lost it."

"Yeah, right." Jackson backed me into a wall. "Tell me why I don't believe you."

"I don't know. But apparently you don't care about your credit card." I shrugged.

Jackson slid his hand into my back pocket, causing me to jump. He pulled out my wallet and grabbed his credit card. He slid my wallet back into my pocket before walking away.

"No fair!" I complained, causing him to roll his eyes.

"Cookies!" Ben yelled. I looked at him in surprise, to find him looking into the cookie jar.

Autumn sighed. "My big brother, ladies and gentlemen."

I chuckled. "Enjoy, Ben. Just don't eat too many; I don't want you to spoil your dinner."

"I'm older than you. Don't tell me what to do."

I laughed at him before walking outside where Jerad and Ben J were starting the grill.

"So, who exactly is coming tonight?"

"Apparently, the six of us, Kellan, Nikki, Ashley, Kristen, Robert, Taylor and maybe Uncle. He's in the band."

I nodded. "This is going to be epic."


	14. Chapter 14

"No, no, no!" I giggled and pushed Jackson away as he tried to smear ketchup on my face. We both jumped in surprise and stopped messing around when there was a banging on the door.

"Come in!" Ben J yelled.

I laughed. "Ben, this isn't your apartment." I walked over and answered the door, smiling at everyone standing outside.

"Let's get this party started!" Kellan cheered as he handed Jackson some wine coolers and beer. He paused quickly to pick me up and spin me around before walking outside. I laughed as I invited everyone else inside. Kristen, Robert, Taylor, and Ashley hugged me as they entered the flat before going through the back doors towards the food.

"Hey Nikki." I greeted her, seeing as she was the only one who hadn't hugged me.

She smiled at me. "Hey. Destiny, right? I didn't have much of a chance to talk to you yesterday."

"Then let's change that tonight!" I declared as we linked arms and walked outside where everyone was already getting food. I grabbed a seat on the porch swing with my bottle of Diet Coke. Jackson sat down next to me and winked as he took a bite of his burger. I giggled.

When everyone was settled in eating, I realized I hadn't seen Autumn for a while. I looked around and found her talking with Taylor. She was smiling, which I took as a good sign.

"Jackson." I nudged him.

"Mmmf?" His mouth was full of a huge bite of burger when he responded.

I laughed. "Chew and swallow before you respond to this, please. But what's going on over there?"

Jackson swallowed before he followed my line of vision to Taylor and Autumn. He smiled. "Tay and Autumn have been pretty close for a while now. He helped her…" Jackson trailed off and pulled his eyebrows together.

"I get it." I smiled at him before taking another drink.

"Why don't you go get something to eat?"

I shrugged. "We ate a late lunch and had smoothies. I'm not all that hungry."

Jackson gave me a weird look before Kellan stood up.

"Alright, alright, alright kiddies!" I raised my eyebrow before he continued. "So we have a deck of cards, supplies for s'mores, or we can play any vocal or drinking game you all can think of."

I felt Jackson stiffen beside me. He and Ben both spoke at the same time: "No drinking games."

"Okay, no drinking games for the big brothers."

"How about Truth or Dare?" Ashley suggested.

"No, too middle school." Robert complained.

Nikki spoke up: "Spin the bottle?"

"Even worse." I stated.

Ben J then suggested Never Have I Ever. After telling us how to play without it being a drinking game, we all agreed.

Basically, everyone has a handful of candy. In a circle, everyone says something that they have never done. If you have done it, you have to eat a piece of the candy. It goes on until the bowl runs out of candy or until someone pukes.

"Who starts?" Jerad asked as we all grabbed handfuls.

"I will!"

Everyone turned to look at me. "Uhm, sure." Kellan said.

I smiled. "Never have I ever had sex."

Everyone besides Autumn, Taylor and Kristen had to eat a piece of candy, much to my amusement.

We all got tired of the game right around the time Ben threw up, so we decided to play cards instead. After I argued with Jackson about whether or not I could play, I sat back in defeat. Apparently, I was too young to gamble. Autumn came over and sat next to me as we watched the card be dealt.

"Ben said no too, huh."

Autumn nodded. "He said I could help him, but I didn't feel like it."

I nodded and peeked at Jackson's hand. "What are you playing again?"

"Poker." He replied, showing me his hand. Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and ten of spades.

I giggled. "My money's on you." I whispered to him. He winked at me before betting.

As I expected, Jackson won the hand. I pulled Autumn inside when they started to ante up again.

"Should we prank them?"

Autumn's eyes lit up. "Heck yes. Here's what we're going to do…"

Fifteen minutes later, we had our prank devised. Autumn and I both made sure we had everything we needed before checking to make sure they were still busy.

"Okay. Operation: Prank the Vampires, go." I whispered to Autumn. She smirked evilly before opening the door.

When we opened the door, everyone turned to look at us. We smiled innocently before bombing them with water balloons. The girls squealed and the guys yelled as they got hit with ice cold water balloons.

Ben J seemed to collect himself first and grab the thing nearest him and threw it at us. The only issue was it was a hamburger. It didn't make it very far. But it did inspire everyone else to throw the food towards us as well.

Obviously, we ran out of balloons before they ran out of food, so Autumn and I raced to the food table and started throwing things back at them. I grabbed a two liter soda bottle and shook it up before opening it. Everyone around me started yelling at me and getting away as quickly as they could. I grabbed the ketchup bottle next and went to aim it at the person right behind me, whom just happened to be Jackson.

He grabbed the bottle before I squirted it at him. "You really don't want to do that."

I smiled and let go of the bottle. "You're right." Jackson looked at me in surprise just before Autumn shoved ice down his shirt.

"God damn it!" He yelled as he ran away, trying to shake the ice out of his shirt. I laughed and hi-fived Autumn right before Kellan grabbed me so Kristen could pelt me with chips.


	15. Chapter 15

"Destiny, honey." A hand gently shook my arm. "Destiny, wake up."

I groaned and rolled over, pulling my covers closer around me. "Please don't make me."

I heard a chuckle before lips were pressed to my ear. "Destiny." A shiver went down my back when I recognized Jackson's voice. "Time for you to wake up."

"I'm up." I sighed and opened my eyes when he pulled away. "What time is it?"

"Around five-thirty."

I checked the clock to figure out he was right. I was surprised he was awake, though, considering we had only gone to bed two hours before. After our food fight the night before, we had made s'mores and sat around to talk until around two-thirty when we shooed everyone out. A quick clean up later, we were all settled in to sleep for the night with me on the couch.

"Why are we awake now?"

Jackson smiled. "I couldn't sleep and wanted someone to be awake with me so we could talk."

I smiled back and sat up. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Oh, you thought I meant here." Jackson laughed. "I'm heading to the beach."

I chuckled and shook my head. "Give me ten minutes to change?" Jackson nodded in consent and let me get up. I ran into the bathroom and changed into a t-shirt and shorts. I quickly pulled my hair back and slid my glasses on before stepping into my flip flops. I walked out to where Jackson was sitting.

"All set?"

I nodded and smiled.

"Alright. Do you want to drive?"

I blinked in surprise. "You'd be willing to let me drive?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

"Of course!" I grabbed my wallet, phone, and iPod out of my bag and slid them into my pockets before following Jackson out the door to his car. After adjusting everything, I backed out and got on to the main road. Jackson spoke sparingly, giving me little hints and directions until we reached the beach.

"I'm impressed." Jackson commented when we got out of the car.

I laughed. "I'm not bad." I locked the car before handing him the keys.

"When are you going to take your license test?"

I shrugged. "I'm going to try and the day after my birthday, but I don't know yet."

"And when is that?"

"December 25."

Jackson smiled. "You share a birthday with someone."

"I know. My twin."

He laughed. "My birthday is four days before yours, as well."

I smiled at him before I sat down. "We should totally have a combined birthday party if I'm home."

"What do you mean, if you're home?" Jackson sat down next to me, and we watched the waves, gently caressing the shore. A light breeze blew our way just at that moment.

I shivered slightly. "I'm an applicant at Interlochen. I've already been accepted, I just now need to know if I'm going to get a written arts scholarship or not."

Jackson shrugged off the gray hoodie and practically forced me to wear it. "When will you find out?"

"Well, considering Autumn and Kyler have already been informed, I don't think I ever will be."

"So you already know that Autumn's going there in the fall."

I nodded. "And I know that you and Ben met there."

Jackson chuckled. "Interlochen is a great high school experience. A lot of major players in the arts world graduated from there."

"Including this really cute guy that acted in Twilight. You know, the tall, muscular one with the amazing eyes." Jackson pulled his eyebrows together in my direction before I continued. "Oh, never mind. Rob grew up in England."

Jackson and I laughed together when he nudged me. "But genuinely, what are you going there for?"

"Journalism, hopefully."

"So you write and do photography?" I nodded. "Well, good thing you decided to come with me then."

"Why is that?"

Jackson nodded out towards the horizon. "The sunrise is most beautiful over the ocean. It gives you a great opportunity for pictures. Great practice."

I smiled. "I'll hold you to that."

"What interested you in journalism?"

I laid back in the sand and sighed ever so lightly. "Writing is something I've done since middle school. I've written so many stories that I've lost count. Photography was more Kyler's thing when we were young. He loved posing me and taking pictures when we were eight and nine. But when he turned ten, he got more interested in music with Ash. So, I picked up the camera instead. I found beauty in everything."

Jackson locked his eyes with me and smiled slightly.

"Plus, my dad was a journalist."

He nodded slowly, processing this. "And what did you mean about Kyler and Ash being more into music?"

"Well, you know how Ash works at that recording company?" Jackson nodded again. "He was always the most into music. My dad got us all to play some instruments, but Ash was the most natural when it came to playing everything. After he graduated and started into the recording business, he started taking Kyler along. Percussion became a major focus for him in that time. I used music as more of a hobby. Singing was part of every day, and I danced for a while."

"Well, you certainly seem to be good at everything."

I laughed. "Not even close. I'm not really talented."

"Rewind. Everything you just told me about, that is all about talent."

I shrugged as I sat up. "I'm not really that good at it all."

"I doubt that." Jackson made me look at him. "I think you just don't have a very high opinion of yourself."

I pulled my head away and shrugged. "I guess."

"Hey." Jackson spoke gently, causing me to look back at him. "You are a beautiful girl, Destiny. And you're good at so many things. You sing extremely well, and I'm sure your writing, dancing and photography are even better."

I stared into his eyes. "You think too highly of me." I whispered as I began to tear up.

"No. I just see the real you." Jackson murmured.

In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to kiss him.

But I didn't. Because he wouldn't have kissed me back. A gorgeous movie star would never fall for a kid like me.


	16. Chapter 16

We watched the sunrise there on the beach, and Jackson was absolutely right. The sunrise seemed a thousand times more beautiful on the beach. I had used my iPod as a camera, taking pictures of the sunrise, water, boardwalk, and Jackson himself. Because it had become overcast, we walked back over to the car, laughing as we slipped in the sand. Jackson opened the passenger seat's door for me before climbing into his side.

"Your parents really did raise you right." I stated, a comment from a previous conversation.

Jackson chuckled as he started the car. "Being raised in Texas, you were either a gentleman or a hick."

"Texas!" I declared, smacking my knee. "That's where your accent is from!"

Jackson gave me a strange look as we headed home.

On our way there, I scrolled through the pictures I had taken. Some of them really weren't bad. I found one picture of Jackson that truly caught my eye, so I decided to edit it. After messing around for about five minutes, I liked what was there. I saved it before looking up. We were almost back to his flat.

"Any good ones?" Jackson asked as he glanced my way.

I smiled and nodded. "I'll show them to you when we get home."

"But I wanna see them now!" He wined.

"No."

He pouted, which made me laugh. I smiled and watched him for about five seconds before I spoke up. "So, you were born and raised in Texas?"

Jackson chuckled. "Not even close, darlin'. I was born in Singapore, but traveled for a long time. But Midland, Texas is home."

"What about Hollywood?"

"There are better acting opportunities here." Jackson shrugged when he parked the car. "Plus, living with Ben and Autumn is more fun than being home with Mom, Dad, and Brittany."

"Brittany?"

"My younger sister. I have two older ones as well, Ryann and Kelly."

I smiled. "Only boy?"

"I was the over protective brother, the way I am with Nicola."

"Who's Nicola?"

"She's acting in Airbender with me. She's your age. You would like her."

I giggled. "Is she actually my age? Or is she a year older like Autumn?"

He rolled his eyes at me before getting out of the car. "I thought she was fifteen. Sue me."

Jackson opened the door for me and I smiled at him before I walked inside to find Autumn and Ben sitting at the table.

"Howdy, partner." Ben said, winking at me. "What happened to you guys?"

"Couldn't sleep." Jackson shrugged before reaching around Autumn and snagging her orange juice. "We went to the beach."

I grabbed the glass from him and put it down in front of Autumn. "I took some pictures there, as well." I pulled a glass out from the cabinet and got Jackson his own juice.

"Well, let's see them!" Ben declared.

I smiled and pulled my iPod out, scrolling through the pictures. Apparently they all liked them, because they pointed and talked about them. I got to the one of Jackson last, one I had edited. Autumn giggled when Ben wolf-whistled at it.

"Did you really take that?" Jackson asked in surprise.

I shrugged sheepishly. "I edited it as well."

"That's a pretty hot picture, J-Action." Autumn said.

"J-Action?"

"Nickname. Now go get your stuff. I have to take you home."

I nodded before walking into the living room. I collected everything and shoved it into my bag before hugging Autumn.

"Text me if you ever need to talk." I whispered to her ear. "And we need to finish our conversation some time soon."

"We do." Autumn whispered back before she released me.

I smiled at Ben. "Can I have a hug?"

He laughed before standing up. Ben grabbed me in a huge hug, picking me up and spinning me around. "Come back over soon."

"Anytime you guys are willing to have me over, I'm only a text away." I smiled at Ben before following Jackson out the door to the car. He silently opened my door and climbed into his side. We sat in silence for a few minutes, much to my confusion.

"What did I do wrong?"

Jackson's eyes flicked to me. "That picture you took."

"Do you want me to delete it?"

"No, no, that's not what I meant." He replied quickly, running his hand through his hair.

"Then what did you mean?"

"What you said on the beach. You said you can find beauty in anything."

I shrugged. "I've always tried."

"But you were just clicking away with your pictures when we were there. I didn't see you stop to get a certain picture."

"Jackson…" I began, not sure how to say what came next. "It's… Harder for me to stay still and focus. If I stay still too long, I feel trapped. So I look for whatever catches my eye, click a picture and move on."

"Trapped?"

"That's a story for another time." I whispered.

Jackson's hand nudged my knee. I looked up in surprise, before realizing that he was offering to hold my hand. I slid my palm against his, intertwining our fingers.

I smiled. "My hand looks so small compared to yours."

Jackson chuckled. "I have no response for that."

We laughed together as he drove one handed, headed for my house.

When he parked the car, I was reluctant to let go of his hand so he could turn off the engine. Of course, I didn't push my luck, instead releasing his hand the moment he went to pull it away.

"Thank you." I said as I unbuckled my seat belt.

"No, thank you." Jackson replied as he unbuckled and got out. I smiled when I realized he was going to open my door for me. When he did, he grabbed my hand again.

"Can we do this again sometime?"

Jackson smiled at me. "You can come over any time."

"No, just the two of us." I almost whispered.

His eyes softened before pulling me into a hug. "If you ever want me, I'm just a phone call or text away. Don't ever forget that."

"I won't." I murmured into his chest. After grabbing my bag, I turned to walk inside. I stood in my doorway, waving to Jackson as he pulled away.


	17. Chapter 17

One week later, I checked my phone again. Still no reply.

I hadn't heard from Jackson since he drove me home. Autumn and Ben had responded and neither of them seemed to be mad at me. But even when I asked Jackson when he wanted his jacket back, he wouldn't respond to me. I didn't know what had changed, but I was upset about it.

"Dez?" Kyler stood in my door way.

I smiled when I looked up at him. "What's up?"

"Why don't you text Jasper and ask if he can hang out today? Ash and I are going into the studio."

I was so stuck in my own world I didn't even recognize that Ky had spoken two complete sentences to me. "Sure."

I grabbed my phone and sent a quick message to Jasper, asking if I could come over for the day. He sent back a fast reply of consent, so I relayed the message to Ash. He drove me over to Jasper's, kissed my forehead, and drove off with Kyler in the back seat.

"Hey chicka! Long time no talk." Jasper ushered me into the house.

I smiled and hugged him. "Sorry, I've been a little wrapped up."

"Uh huh. We'll talk about that later. But Mom and Dad want to see you right now."

Jasper put his arm around me and pulled me into the kitchen where Jasper's parents were eating lunch.

"Destiny." Jasper's mom stood up and pulled me into a hug. "You haven't been over here in a while. We've missed our little trouble maker."

I smiled. "Sorry, Momma. Hi, Daddy." Jasper's parents had been like my own ever since my own father had died. After all, having me around for eight years kind of created parental feelings.

"Destiny, I thought I heard your melodious voice."

I froze. Jasper's older brother, Tre, walked into the kitchen. Tre and I had dated for a while, but he had been overly controlling. Ash had gotten me away from him before it had gotten abusive, and we had talked to his parents about it. I hadn't seen him since we broke up about two years ago.

"Tre, how nice to see you." I smiled slightly.

"You look beautiful as ever."

"Tre, I thought you were going out." Jasper's father stood up slightly and gave him a hard look. Tre put his hands up in a surrendering fashion.

"Just wanted to let you guys know before I left. Destiny, a pleasure, as always." He winked at me before he walked out.

I let out a sigh as soon as he walked out the door.

"I'm sorry, I thought he was going to be gone by now." Jasper pulled me into his side protectively.

"No, I understand. He lives here, and I was intruding."

"No, honey, you weren't. Why don't you go ahead back to Jasper's room and do something? I'll make you lunch if you want." Jasper's mom smiled at me warmly, the way any mother would.

I instinctively smiled back. "Sure, that sounds really nice."

"Good. How about PB&J? Then we can order pizza for dinner."

"Extra mushroom." Jasper and I responded at the same time, causing us all to laugh.

We walked back to Jasper's room with him shutting the door behind us. He turned on his TV, but turned the volume down so we could talk. This was our ritual.

"So, spill. Who's the guy?"

"What?"

Jasper sighed and rolled his eyes at me. "The hot guy that totally has you tripping all over him! And, day-um, he must be fine to have you drooling like that."

I laughed. The advantages to having a gay best friend: guy talk isn't awkward, and he's extremely funny. "His name is Jackson."

"As in like, Jasper Jackson?"

"That's the one."

"Oh. My. God. Spill everything!"

I began the story, telling Jasper everything from when Jackson had helped me down from Kellan to the drive home a week ago.

"And he just hasn't responded to my texts or anything ever since. I still have his jacket, though. I don't know what to do with it."

Jasper sighed. "Sweetheart, I think you've got that poor boy's head spinning."

"What do you mean?"

"Take this from an _expert_ on men," I giggled, "you're extremely beautiful. And it's really hard not to notice. I think Jackson's just confused around you."

"But why would I-"

"Don't you dare insult yourself."

I pressed my lips shut in surprise.

"I don't care about age. There's something between you two. It's obvious from the way your eyes sparkle when you talk about him, to the things he said in your stories."

"That doesn't explain why he isn't talking to me."

"Maybe he just doesn't know what to say." Jasper squeezed my shoulder's. "Don't worry too much."

Just then, Jasper's mom walked into his room and offered us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the crust cut off, the way we both used to eat them in elementary school. She had even brought our favorite chips, salt and vinegar.

"Momma, you think of everything." I smiled at her when she set down the food on the bed.

She smiled and kissed my forehead. "Anything for my favorite daughter."

I giggled. She had called me her favorite daughter since I started calling them Mom and Dad. Jasper's house had always been home. Not like home with Ash and Kyler, but a different kind of home. If that makes any sense at all.

"I put a few movies down on the nightstand if you all want to watch them. We'll let you know when the pizza gets here."

Jasper and I called our thanks as she walked out of the room.

I turned to Jasper and smiled. "Your parents are the coolest."

He laughed. "Tell me something I don't know."

Jasper put in a Harry Potter movie, my favorite, and we had a nerd fest back in his room up until dinner arrived.


	18. Chapter 18

"Destiny, what time do you need to be home?"

I looked up from my piece of pizza to Jasper's dad. "I'm… not sure. I'll check with Ash now."

They chuckled as I pulled out my phone and quickly sent a text to Ash. I had a text a couple minutes later, which I read out loud.

"Any time before midnight is fine. If you want to stay the night, go ahead, just let me know."

"You can stay here over night. I'm sure Jasper has some pajamas you can use."

I giggled. "I'm sure he does."

Jasper nudged me as we continued eating dinner. Dinner at Jasper's house was always casual- we ate in the living room on the couches and around the table. I hadn't been over for Christmas or anything, but I assumed they used the dining room table for that.

After finishing up dinner, Jasper and I ran back to his room, calling out a thanks to his parents for the pizza. I took a minute to tell Ash I was spending the night before I powered off my phone for the night.

Jasper sat down cross legged on the bed and patted directly across from him. I giggled before sitting there.

"We haven't talked about Interlochen at all."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "That's because I still haven't heard back yet."

"They must be too busy reading your amazing stories to send you a letter."

I giggled. "So, any guys in your life?"

"Well…" Jasper began.

I squealed. "You have a crush!"

He laughed and hushed me. "I met him the day you were going to the party. I was out shopping with Ashley, you know, from school, and we ran into him. He was wearing these totally hot white skinny jeans and a black shirt. Oh my god, he was so hot!"

I smiled as I listened to my best friend animatedly describe the hot guy he had met, including him showing me the texts they had been sending.

"Hold on." I said, grabbing Jasper's phone. "I know that guy."

"You do?" He asked in surprise. "He doesn't go to school with us or anything."

"I know, he is one of the people I'm competing against for my Interlochen scholarship."

There was a mini silence. "Oh." Jasper went to delete the number.

"No, no, don't delete him!" I laughed lightly. "You have to be good to be a finalist, and I know how incredibly hot you find authors."

"Well, you know…" Jasper shrugged slightly, making me giggle.

Around eleven, Jasper's parents came in to say goodnight to us, so we decided to crash. I borrowed a pair of sweatpants and a tank top for pajamas. We changed and climbed into bed quickly. Jasper was out in minutes, which didn't surprise me. But I laid awake, watching the TV as it changed from picture to picture. I got bored at one point, so I turned my phone back on. I had a text from Ash, telling me he would see me in the morning.

Eventually, I got bored of laying still, so I got up to go get a drink. I grabbed a glass and opened the fridge to get the milk, but the door was pushed closed. I looked up in surprise to see Tre standing there, smirking at me.

My heart rate sped up slightly. "Real funny, Tre. Can I please get my drink?"

"I don't think so." He said, pushing me up against the door.

"Tre, don't." I said quickly, trying to push him away.

"Why?" He slid his hand down my side. "We never got very far, and it's been a lonely two years."

I whimpered slightly as he slid his hand up my shirt to cup my boob.

"There. Now that's not so bad, is it." He whispered as he squeezed. I whimpered again.

"Tre, stop it, or I'll scream."

He laughed softly. "You scream, you know the consequences." I breathed in deeply, but he raised his fist. "Your choice."

I squeezed my eyes shut as a tear slowly slid down my cheek. I felt Tre push his lips against mine roughly as his hand slowly trailed back down my stomach onto the waist band of my pants.  
"No big brother here to save you this time." He whispered as he slid his hand into my pants. I gasped in surprise, and reacted on instinct. I kicked out, managing to hit Tre in an… awkward spot.  
"Mother-" Tre yelled out, grabbing a handful of my hair and throwing me to the ground. "You bitch," he growled, smacking me. I bit into my lip when I felt a drop of blood slide down my cheek.  
He continued then, shoving his tongue down my throat and violating me. I held back a yelp when he pushed a finger inside of me, not willing to give him the satisfaction.

A few seconds later, I got my chance. He had pulled his fingers out of me and was undoing his pants, so I pushed him off of me with all my strength. I didn't look back as I ran as quickly as I could, getting out of that house. Looking back on it, I should've just woken his parents up. But I couldn't at that time. I just had to get out of there.

I searched the pockets of the sweatpants, finding my phone- thankfully- in the pocket. It was a little after midnight, but I still dialed Jackson's number.

"Please pick up…" I murmured, only to be sent to voicemail. I sighed and checked to make sure Tre wasn't following me. I quickly redialed Jackson's number.

"Hello?" I heard.

"Jackson!" I practically screamed into the phone. I had never been more grateful to hear anyone.

"Destiny? Why are you calling me?"

"Because… I need help."

I heard rustling. "Where are you?"

"I… I'm not sure…" I looked around, searching for something. I found a road sign. "Tacket's Road. That's where I am."

"Stay there. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Jackson, please don't hang up." I whispered into the phone.

A sigh echoed through my side of the phone. "I'm here, Destiny. I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry." I whispered back as I started crying again.

"Please, don't cry…"


	19. Chapter 19

"I'm on the corner of Tacket." Jackson reassured me.

"Stay there. I'll come to you." I murmured to him through my phone.

I spotted his car parked on the corner of the road and ran over to it. Jackson got out of the car and held me the instant I reached him as I started crying again.

"Destiny, I'm here darlin'." He murmured into my hair. I pressed my head into his chest and cried harder at his reassuring words.

Jackson held me there for a few minutes before I felt like I could talk.

"I'm sorry for bothering you. I just didn't know who else to call." I told his chest.

He sighed and wrapped his arms around me tighter, pulling me closer if that was possible. "Destiny, I should explain. But a different occasion would be better. This isn't the time. Now, let's get you home."

He pulled me away from him to help me into the car before gasping. "What the..."  
I winced when he touched the nail marks and bruise on my cheek, watching when he studied my split lip. "Destiny, what happened?"

"I... I can't..." I pressed my lips together, causing the bottom one to split open again. Jackson didn't ask again.

He opened the door and helped me into the car before he ran around to the drivers' side. He got in and started the car before offering me his hand. After pulling his hand into my lap, I pulled my knees to my chest. His hand was between both of mine as he drove towards my house.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I squeezed my eyes shut. "When we get home." I murmured.

Jackson nodded slowly. "Do you want to dock your iPod or something?"

"Shit." I murmured, realizing something. "L'ho lasciato a casa di Jasper. Idiota." (I left it at Jasper's house. Idiot)

"What?" He looked at me in surprise.

"Sorry, I left everything besides my phone at Jasper's house."

Jackson looked back at the road. "So, it was Jasper?"

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. "No. Jasper's still my best friend."

No more questions were asked as we quickly headed home in the night.

"We're here." Jackson murmured as he gently pulled his hand away so he could park.

I looked up at my house. The studio light was on.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Ash's number, waiting for him to pick up.

"What's up Dezzy?" Ash's cheerful voice reached my ear.

"I'm out front. Can you let me in?"

I heard Ash move to the front door. "What happened and who drove you home?"

"Jackson's with me. We'll talk when I get inside." I whispered as Ash opened the front door and walked out to the car.

"Jackson, come inside. Please." I begged him.

"Of course." He whispered just before Ash opened the door.

He quickly helped me out and hugged me. "Destiny... Your cheek..."

"I know. No permanent damage."

I heard Jackson's door shut and felt Ash nod.

"Thanks, Jackson. I owe you one for taking care of Destiny."

"Anytime."

"Won't you come inside?"

"Thank you."

Ash led me inside and sat us down on the couch. Jackson took a seat in a chair directly across from us.

"Now, what happened baby?" Ash asked me from my spot, snuggled into him.

I sighed. "Tre was over there. He wasn't supposed to be."

I felt Ash's fists curl. "Was he really." His voice was flat and slightly scary.

"I went out to get a drink after everyone else was asleep. He... Started to do what I was always afraid he would. I got away as soon as I could and called Jackson. He came and picked me up, but I left everything besides my phone over there."

Ash sighed deeply. "That mother fucker…"

"Jackson?" I looked at him.

"What, darlin'?"

"Tre and I dated almost two years ago, for about three months. The first month was great and all, but in the second month, he started making comments on what I was wearing or something that I was doing. Into the third month, he started threatening to hit me or rape me if I told anyone what happened. He was the reason that I started cutting myself, and he ridiculed me for that. One day, we were headed out for a family dinner. Ash recommended that I should wear this skirt and top that Tre wouldn't have approved of. I broke down into tears and told Ash everything. He went to their house and talked to Jasper's parents about everything that was happening. My dad, Ash, Kyler, Jasper, and his parents did everything in their power to keep us apart. Because nothing had actually happened between us, we couldn't take him to court. Instead, I just stayed away from him. And I haven't seem him since we were separated, until tonight.

"Tonight, like I said, everyone else was asleep. I went to get a drink and Tre was there. He forced me up against the fridge and… started feeling me. When I responded my kicking him, he grabbed my hair and threw me to the floor. The then hit me before continuing. I might be over reacting. I just… Feel violated. I feel like I'm not who I used to be. It seems extreme, but-"

Jackson cut me off. "Destiny, you aren't over reacting at all. Any relationship like that is hard to get away from, especially when you're young. We should all be grateful you got away when you did."  
I got up from Ash, who hadn't said anything during my story, and walked over to Jackson.  
Ash stood up. "Destiny, I'm going to leave you two, okay? I love you. Jackson, feel free to spend the night if you want."

Jackson nodded. "Thanks, man."

I offered my hand to Jackson as Ash walked away. "Come to my room?"

He hesitated before grabbing my hand. I led him to my room and paused in the doorway.

"I'm not sure I can fall asleep by myself tonight."

Jackson fixed our hands so our fingers were intertwined. "I'll be here."  
When I had changed and Jackson had gotten comfortable, we laid side by side in the dark.  
"No guy should ever do that to a girl." I looked over at Jackson. "Especially one he's in a relationship with."

I said nothing before turning over and burring my face in his chest.


	20. Chapter 20

The light slowly entered my room, making me fidget. "Ash, please let me sleep."

Someone hushed me, much to my surprise. I opened my eyes to find Kyler standing by my windows, his eyes watching me softly. He nodded behind me, making me realize there was an arm around my waist. I half turned in surprise to find Jackson there, still sleeping. I smiled slightly before everything from the night before hit me.

I sighed and rubbed my eyes, before ever so gently moving Jackson's arm. "Did Ash tell you?" I asked in a whisper as I stood up and moved towards Kyler.

"Yeah." Kyler stepped towards me and wrapped his arms around me. "He's over there, talking to them and getting your stuff."

"How did he know I left my stuff over there last night?"

"I had been in the studio with Ash. I continued the editing when you were talking before Ash came up and told me. Jackson came to talk to us after you went to sleep."

I blinked. "Kyler, I've been so wrapped up in my own shit, I haven't noticed you've been talking more."

Ky shrugged, contradicting my point.

"Well, if there is a reason," I smiled at my twin, "I'd love to know."

He nodded. "I'll tell you if there is."

I shook my head with a smile before Kyler gently pushed me back to the bed. I laid down, snuggling into Jackson. He threw his arm around me, seemingly automatically. Kyler closed the blinds before walking out of my room, shutting the door. I smiled at Jackson's peacefully sleeping face. I let my hand gently cup his cheek, absolutely ecstatic he had decided to spend the night here.

We did need to talk about the pause though. No communication had been hard for me.

_*Good Lord.*_ I thought. _*I like Jackson Rathbone.*_

Fuck. This will not end well.

I sighed, pushing the thought away as Jackson pulled me closer in his sleep, making me smile. With my head on his chest, I floated in between awake and asleep for a while before I felt a pair of lips gently press against the top of my head.

"Good morning." He murmured.

I smiled. "Good morning to you, too."

"Are you… Better?"

"I am. Thank you for staying. And I do need to apologize."

Jackson yawned, moving an arm from my waist to cover his mouth. "For what?"

"Over reacting like I did."

"Over reacting?" His arm fell back to my waist. "Darlin', you didn't over react. I know a girl that was in a relationship that started out like the one you described, only it ended worse. Getting out when you did and reacting like you did, that's good. It shows you have a strong will."

I put my face against his chest. "I'm not strong, though. He pushed me to cut myself. I let him control me. I let him violate me. He caused nightmares that I still have."

"Oh, Destiny." Jackson's lips were against my head again. "If only I could show you how strong you are."

"Dezzy?" Kyler opened the door. "You want to go get lunch?"

I looked at Jackson, who had quickly moved away when the door opened. "Sure. J?"

He looked at Kyler. "If I'm not intruding…"

"Of course not."

"Half an hour then?" I asked Ky, who nodded in consent before closing the door.

I got up to walk to the shower, before looking at Jackson. "You don't have any clothes to change in to…"

He shrugged. "I'll be okay."

"Go ask Ky to borrow some clothes." I instructed with a smile. Jackson sighed and chuckled at me before going to do just that.

I jumped into the shower, washing away everything that happened last night. I scrubbed my arms, legs and stomach where my scars showed through until I felt clean. I shampooed my hair at least twice before applying conditioner. When I got out of the shower, I wrapped a towel around myself. After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I felt better. I walked out into my bedroom, looking for an outfit for the day. Something that was… me.

After I found exactly what I was looking for, I quickly pulled it on and walked out to meet Jackson and Kyler. I saw that Jackson had simply switched shirts, leaving his jeans on from the night before. I smiled.

"There's the Destiny I know." Kyler said, giving me a half smile. "By the way, everything is over on the couch."

I walked over and, sure enough, there was everything I had left over at Jasper's the night before. Ash must've stopped by while I was in my in between stage. I smiled and quickly clasped my necklace and bracelet, before pulling my hair back before sliding my glasses on. After stuffing my iPod, cell phone, keys, and wallet into my pockets, I announced that I was ready.

Kyler informed me we'd be walking to a little café around the corner, so I walked out without complaint, locking the door behind everyone.

"So, I thought of something." Jackson said to me as we followed five steps behind Kyler.

"Something what?"

Jackson smiled at me. "Something to prove to you that you're strong."

I half smiled and shook my head. "Not likely, but you can try."

"Come out to dinner with me tonight." He invited, slinging his arm around me.

"How does that prove or disprove anything?"

"You can wear that outfit that you were going to wear."

I chuckled. "Oh God, I don't even know if I have that outfit anymore."

"I think it's worth you looking for it so you can prove to yourself that you are strong."

I smiled and shook my head. "Sure. I'll look for it, and I'll go out to dinner with you tonight."

He gently squeezed my shoulders. "Good. Because I have some explaining to do."


	21. Chapter 21

I paced back in forth in my room. I was wearing the outfit Jackson had requested I would wear, but I didn't know what else to do with myself.

My mind traced the events of the day as I wrung my hands. My mind replayed the lunch we had, the three of us, and then Jackson gently kissing my forehead before promising to be back at eight. Kyler and I baking the brownies together, seeing my brother smile…

Things were changing, and it was obviously for the good.

There was a knock at the door just then, and I jumped in surprise. I glanced at my clock and noticed I still had half an hour, so it had to be for Ash. But then, to my further shock, someone knocked on my door.

"Who is it?" I asked, attempting to keep my voice steady.

"Ashley." She responded. I opened the door and smiled at her. "Kyler called me and explained everything. So, I'm here to help."

"Wait… Kyler called you?"

She nodded and walked into my room. "We've become pretty close."

I grinned. _*So that explains it. He found someone to talk to.*_

"No, we don't like each other like that." She called over her back. I blinked in surprise.

"Okay, so with that outfit…" Ashley put her bag down before turning around and studying me. "Purple eye shadow, yellow earrings, black mascara and clear lip gloss." She nodded before gently pushing me down on the bed.

Just as the door bell rang, Ashley announced that she was finished. I looked at myself in the mirror and blinked in surprise. I actually looked… Pretty.

"Now, go get him." Ashley smacked my butt as I walked past her, causing me to squeal. She giggled as I entered the hallway and took a deep breath.

I walked into the living room, where Jackson was talking to Kyler. He was wearing a white button-up with a black skinny tie and black slacks. Damn, did he look good.

"Wow." Jackson said as I walked into the living room. "Destiny, you look…" He cleared his throat. "Destiny, you look beautiful."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, J. You look amazing yourself."

"All set?"

I nodded and held my phone out to him, which he slid into his pocket.

"Have fun you two." Ashley walked out of my room and smiled at us.

"We will." Jackson leaned down and kissed her cheek, and she winked at him.

Kyler hugged me. "Be home before eleven."

I giggled. "No worries about that one." I gently pressed my lips to his cheek before following Jackson out the door.

After a short drive of casual conversation, Jackson parked in front of an expensive looking restaurant.

"Wow." I murmured as we got out. Jackson chuckled as he grabbed my hand and led me inside.

After getting us seated and ordering our drinks, I had a chance to study the restaurant. "Jackson, this is amazing. Remind me to pay you back for dinner and gas money when we get home."

He chuckled. "You don't owe me anything."

"Yes, I do. That's a lot of money."

Jackson shrugged. "Consider it… a date."

My breath caught when I blinked in surprise.

After getting our drinks, we put our entrée orders in, and Jackson took a deep breath.

"Look, Destiny. When I didn't respond to you for that week, I was confused. I had a date set up with a girl I had met before you. Honestly, we got drunk. I took her home, and we had sex."

I nodded slightly as I took a sip of my drink. I should've expected something like that. I went to speak up, but he continued.

"That night, as we were falling asleep, I realized it wasn't her I wanted to be holding. It was you. But it drove me insane, between our age gap and the short time we've known each other. Call me crazy, but I realized I liked you. I tried to push it away by not answering you, but it hurt my heart every time I saw your name on my phone. But I couldn't bring myself to answer, because it would hurt me more than you. Last night, I was out on a date with her. I was planning to tell her I couldn't be with her anymore. I was going to call you today and ask if you could do something. When you called me, it was right after I had told her. The second time you called, she told me to answer it. So, I did.

"I told her you needed me, and she was so sweet. And the instant I heard your voice, I knew I had made the right choice. So I went to meet you, and drove you home. When you told me your story, I was so pissed off, I couldn't believe it. And when I fell asleep holding you, I knew I had to do something about my feelings."

The waiter dropped off our meals at that point, pulling us away, but only for a minute. As soon as we walked away, Jackson continued.

"I went to talk to Ash and Kyler, and told them about my confusion. They told me it was a short time, but that if I truly cared about you, I had to do something to show it. They wouldn't stand in my way, even after I told them our age gap.

"So now, Destiny, the ball is in your court. I just poured everything out to you, and now it's your turn. Your turn to decide."

I sat there, blinking in surprise, attempting to absorb everything. I nervously nibbled on a bite of my chicken.

"Jackson, I cannot deny my attraction to you. But I don't know if a relationship would be the smartest idea we've ever had. I mean, we hardly know each other, and I don't want you to get in to trouble, screw up your career, or anything."

"Those all take a back seat. I really want to be with you Destiny. But, if you want to wait, I can wait for you."

I pressed the heel of my palm against my eyes. "How about this. We take it slow. No publicity, no pressure. Just two people attracted to each other, getting to know each other better."

"Nothing would make me happier." I thought Jackson's smile was going to break his face, but I completely understood as I broke out into a grin to match his.


	22. Chapter 22

As soon as dinner was finished, we jumped up from our table and headed to his car.

"Do you want to go home?" Jackson asked as he threaded his fingers through mine.

I looked down ay my outfit. "I would love to change, but we can go back out…"

"Perfect." He whispered, dropping my hand to put his arm around me. I smiled. If I was any happier, I would burst.

Jackson opened the door for me, even though I protested with a small laugh. He winked at me before going around to the drivers' side.

"I'm no Bella, you know." I teased as he started the engine.

He laughed. "It's okay, since I'm Jasper. He doesn't love Bella. He loves Alice." Jasper's eyes flickered to mine. "An independent, beautiful, artistic woman."

I giggled, but turned to look out the window.

"By the way, I win."

"Win what?" My surprise turned me back to face him.

He had a slight smirk on his face as he accelerated closer to home. "I told you that you're strong."

I laughed and shook my head, but Jackson wouldn't hear any of it.

All too soon, we were back at my house. I hopped out of the car and walked straight through the unlocked front door.

"Kyler, Ash, I'm home." I called as I waited for Jackson to get into the house before closing the door. "Jackson's here, too."

I smiled when Ash came out of the kitchen. He looked between me and Jackson and smiled, but pulled me to sit down at the table with Kyler. I shot Jackson a bewildered look, and motioned for him to follow me.

"What's going on?" I asked once we were all seated around the table.

Kyler wordlessly slid an envelope across the table to me.

I stared down at it. The return address: Interlochen.

This envelope held everything in it. It was the deciding factor for my next year of schooling, and would have a major impact on my career.

I nervously opened the envelope.

"Ms. Destiny Henson." I read out loud. "We are…." My voice went up as I read the next part, "pleased to inform you that you are the winner of the full ride written scholarship! Oh my god!" I squealed as I jumped up from my spot at the table and attacked Ash with a hug.

He laughed as he picked me up and spun me around, making me laugh harder.

Kyler quickly grabbed me the moment Ash let me down, picking me up slightly. "We never doubted you."

I kissed his cheek before he set me down. I laughed and pulled both of my brothers in for a hug at the same time before remembering Jackson was there, too. I pulled away from them and walked over to him.

"Congratulations. Now, I just have to read some of your works." Jackson teased me lightly, but his eyes showed he was truly excited for me.

I laughed and threw my arms around his neck. He responded quickly, swinging me around gently, much to my brothers' amusements.

"So are you two official now?" Ash smirked from where he leaned against the counter.

I turned around in the hug, holding Jackson's hands still against my waist. "We aren't dating. We're getting to know each other a little better. But I suppose you can say we're halfway there."

Ash and Kyler smiled when they exchanged glances.

"Good." They both nodded in approval. I heard Jackson exhale.

"Alright guys, I'm going to change, then Jackson and I are going back out, if it's okay."

"Sure, sweetie." Ash came over to kiss my head after I gently broke Jackson's grasp. "Be home before midnight, and have your phone on."

I nodded towards Jackson as I walked back to my room. "He has my phone."

I quickly changed, making sure to pull on jeans, seeing as there was a slight breeze. I then scrubbed my face clean of make up, slid on my glasses and grabbed my wallet and iPod.

"All set." I announced, walking out of my room.

Jackson smiled at me when he stood up from his spot on the couch.

"Be careful, kiddies." Ash called after us, much to our amusement.

Once settled into the car, Jackson informed me he wanted to head home and change, but he made sure to hand me my phone.

Half an hour and a trip inside to tell Autumn later, we were headed out. I smiled as I recognized the pathway we were taking.

"Are you sure it's not going to be crowded?"

Jackson shook his head. "It shouldn't be. If it is, we'll just go bowling."

I laughed as I watched the familiar sights fly by my eyes from our last trip to the beach. Jackson drove a little faster than I did, so we got there in about half the time. After climbing out, Jackson reached out to hold my hand. I smiled up at him adoringly as we headed out towards the sand.

"Did you bring your iPod with you?" Jackson asked as we headed down towards the shoreline on the near-deserted beach. It seemed like everyone was at the boardwalk instead.

I pulled it out of my pocket and nodded in consent. Jackson smiled at me and slid my glasses off gently, sliding a pair of aviators onto my face instead. I noticed he had pulled on a pair as well before he turned me to face the water. Understanding what he was doing, I did and made sure the angle was good before snapping a picture of the two of us.

When I looked at the picture, I had to smile. Jackson and I were both there, albeit a bit hidden in the fading light. The ocean waves reflected in the mirror glasses, and noticed you could tell we were holding hands. My head was slightly inclined to his, and we were both genuinely smiling. I immediately set it to my background, smiling at Jackson again, who chuckled and kissed the top of my head gently.


	23. Chapter 23

Three days later, Kyler and I were sitting in front of the piano, laughing.

"Don't blame me, I haven't played in six months!"

"Well, if you want to get into the music program at Interlochen…"

"I only said I would try."

Kyler rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Dezzy. Music is such a big part of our lives. Why can't you do this to appease Ash?"

I sighed and brushed my hair out of my face. "I don't know if I'm good enough." I leaned gently into my twin.

"You are. With piano, guitar, vocals, and dancing. Hell, you could try out for the musical for all we care."

"I'd only try out if you would."

"Oh really." He raised his eye challengingly. "Bring it."

I sighed. "Fine, we'll try out for the musical. As long as we know what it is."

"Good. Now, I'm going to try the base part again, and lead in with your part…"

Kyler and I had spent the past three days together, almost inseparably. Jackson had been with Nicola and the cast for some filming and promotional work for Airbender. So, Kyler had helped me pick up the piano again and work on my singing. Ash had asked me the night after Jackson and I had our date if I was planning to continue with music at Interlochen, and I had answered in the affirmative fashion. So, it was time for me to work on it a bit.

My phone vibrated from its spot in my pocket, and I glanced at Ky. He nodded, letting me know he didn't care if I checked it.

I pulled the Katana out and flipped it open to find a text message from Kellan.

_*Hey kid. Heard you got in with your scholarship—congrats! Wanna come over for a party to celebrate? Everyone's invited, cause we're celebrating for Autumn and Kyler, too. Let me know a.s.a.p.*_

"Hey Ky, you up for a party tonight? Ashley'll be there." I commented as I went to forward the text to Ash.

He shrugged. "Sure. You wanna perform something there?"

"Sure. We can get Autumn in on it, too."

"Autumn… That's Jackson's little sister, right?"

I smiled and shook my head. "Jackson's roommate, Ben, is her big brother. They all have a flat together." My phone vibrated. Ash told me he had to work late, but if we could get a ride we were could, and there was no set curfew.

I let my fingers hover over my keypad, debating whether or not to call Jackson.

"What's wrong?" Kyler asked as he started to play a few chords, gentle background music.

I sighed, putting my phone down and picking up my part. "I don't know whether or not to call J and ask him for a ride tonight."

"Well, he is your boyfriend," Ky waved away my protests before going back to his chords, "so he probably won't have any problems with it."

I rolled my eyes and stopped playing. I picked up my phone, but paused again. "I just don't want to bother him."

Ky sighed and grabbed my phone, dialing the number for me. I stuck my tongue out at him as he stuck my phone to my ear, to which I got the middle finger.

"Hey Destiny." Jackson's voice reached my ear, making my heart skip a few beats. We hadn't actually talked on the phone while he'd been working.

"Hey, Jackson." I replied softly, smiling. "So you know that party Kellan is throwing tonight?"

"Do you need a ride?"

"Yeah, Ky and I do. I'll reimburse you for gas."

Jackson laughed. "Stop trying to give me money. What time do you want me to pick you up?"

"One sec." I quickly relayed the question to Kyler, who simply shrugged.

"Whenever works for him works for me."

I sighed, uncovering my mouth piece. "Whenever works, apparently. Ash has to work late, and he didn't set a curfew."

"How about I have Autumn run over and pick you guys up? You all can chill at our place for the day with her. Ben's at an audition, but he knows about the party, so he'll be back for that. Then you can crash for the night."

"Sounds great. Do you want to tell Autumn?"

"Yeah, I'll let her know while you guys are getting ready."

"Thanks, love. See you back at your place."

I could practically feel Jackson smile. "Bye, darlin'."

I hung up my phone, quickly catching Ash and Kyler up. After they both agreed, Ky and I went to go get overnight bags ready. My phone went off halfway through, telling me I had a text from Autumn. She told me she'd be over in half an hour, and that it was nice to be spending the day together again. I smiled and sent a reply, telling Kyler about the time constraint.

After packing a change of clothes, pajamas, my chargers and the necessities, I sat my bag down in the living room. I ran my hand through my hair, which was down for a change, and sighed. My outfit was party appropriate, I guess.

"Did you ask Autumn about the music thing?"

I looked at Kyler, who was sitting next to me and smiled. "Nah, I figured we'd have plenty of time to talk today."

He nodded and smiled as we both kicked our feet up at the same time. It was rare, but we did have our twin moments.

"You know, I'm really loving this side of you."

Kyler glanced at me in confusion. "Which side?"

"The one you've only had for, like, a week now. You talk so much more, and you're in a good mood."

"Ashley helped a lot."

I smiled. "She's such a sweet girl."

"I know. I found a really good friend in her. I'm pretty grateful."

"We should get her and Ash together.

"What?"

"They'd be good together." I shrugged slightly.

Ky smiled and shook his head. "Your brain works in the weirdest ways."

I laughed in response just as there was a knock at the door, alerting us that Autumn had arrived.


	24. Chapter 24

"Destiny." Autumn stepped into the apartment and hugged me.

I gladly squeezed her back, happy to have her around. "We seriously need to start hanging out more." We smiled at each other as we pulled away. "By the way, this is my twin, Kyler."

"Percussion, right?" Autumn switched her smile to my brother, who blinked in surprise.

A slow, smooth smile spread over his face. "Yeah. And you're there for music in general."

I smiled at their exchanged, shifting my bag on my shoulder.

"Oh, sorry, right. Time to leave." Autumn murmured, leading us out the door to the car. I quickly locked up behind us before climbing into the front seat, with everyone else already settled.

Autumn drove slightly slower than Jackson, so we took around forty-five minutes to reach their flat. Along the way, we chatted amiably about what we've been up to and the party that night.

"Oh, yeah. Autumn, you up for something?"

She glanced at me before looking back at the road. "What is something?"

I smirked. "Ky had the idea for us to perform tonight."

"Destiny really needs to get used to performing with her music again." Kyler smiled at me, and I winked in return. "So, I figured it'd be the perfect place."

"Yeah." A slow smile spread over her face into a true look of excitement. "That sounds awesome."

I giggled. "Great. Ky on percussion, you on whatever instrument we need, and we can all sing."

"Oh, no." Kyler interrupted. "You will sing. We'll play along."

I rolled my eyes. "Autumn?"

"I'm Switzerland!" She quickly declared, making me laugh.

When we got back to the flat, I threw my stuff on the couch. I had to remind myself Kyler wasn't as comfortable here as I was, so I told him to do the same thing.

"Well, it's four-thirty. The party's at eight, dinner included. Jackson said he'd be back around six, and I have no idea about Ben. He might just meet us at the party." Autumn reviewed all this from one side of the island. Kyler and I sat down across from her to talk.

"So, what should we do?" I questioned. "I mean, food isn't really in the question…"

"We can bake?" Kyler offered up.

Autumn and I smiled at each other. "What should we make?"

After rounding up the ingredients for brownies, Autumn and I started in on the recipe. Ky sat still, chatting with us as we worked. I had to smile: they were both doing so well. And, from the way Kyler watched Autumn, it was quite possible there were sparks.

I pushed my tray into the oven and waited patiently for Autumn's. We both had slightly different recipes, so we were going to take them to the party and let everyone else decide. After the batter was safely tucked away in its warm oven bed, Autumn and I sat back down.

"Dezzy?"

I glanced up. "Autumn? …We really need a nickname for you…"

She smiled. "You two wanna run out for smoothies after this?"

"Just like last time." I voiced her exact thoughts, much to her amusement. "I'm game. Kyler?"

"Sure." He grinned.

I glanced at the timer we had set, noting the twenty minutes left. Then I glanced at the clock, to quickly calculate the time.

"I'm not sure that'd work."

I got both of their attentions in a minute. "Why not?"

"Jackson's supposed to be back around six. The brownies will be done at five-thirty."

Autumn shrugged. "He'll text one of us if he truly cares. Now, what song do we want to do tonight? I'm thinking something with acoustic guitar, a gentle beat, and smooth vocals…"

We launched into a conversation about music, batting around ideas until the timer sounded. After sliding the pans onto a cooling rack, the three of us hopped back in the car and headed out for our smoothies. While we were waiting for them to be made, my phone went off. I noticed Jackson was calling me and winced lightly.

"Hey, J." I pressed my phone to my ear slightly glumly, expecting the rebuking that came next.

"Do you care to explain where the hell the three of you went?"

"We went out to get smoothies while the brownies cooled…"

He sighed, and I could picture him running his hand through his hair. "A note or text would've been nice."

"I'm sorry."

"Me, too. I just worry about you and Autumn. And Kyler." He added the last bit as an after thought with a half laugh.

I smiled slightly. "We'll be home in about twenty."

"See you then."

I snapped my phone shut and walked back inside. No questions were asked as Kyler passed me my smoothie and we all headed out to the car. When we got home, Jackson had a movie running. We all sat down and watched it with him, Jackson and myself on one couch, Autumn and Kyler on the other.

Halfway through the movie, Jackson grabbed my smoothie and drank some of it.

"You could've asked," I giggled, pulling it back. We kept our voices down, but we knew that Autumn and Kyler would hear it anyway.

Jackson slid his arm around my shoulders in a response, pulling me close to him. "I would say I've missed you, but I'm not sure we've really been apart." He chuckled. "I think I texted you more than I talked to Ben."

I smiled and arranged myself so I could rest my head on Jackson's shoulder and slide my hand onto his thigh. "Kyler practically had to drag me away from my phone. You're just too interesting."

"Let's make a deal. Next time I'm working, we ease up on the constant contact. Calling and talking at night is fine, but what we did these past three days was over the top."

"Agreed." I giggled. "But we have tonight and a while tomorrow, so let's not complain."

"You won't get a complaint from me, darlin'." Jackson kissed the top of my head before we returned to watching the movie in a comfortable silence.


	25. Chapter 25

"Alright…" Autumn stood up when the credits started rolling, causing us all to look in her direction. "I need to see you two," she pointed to me and Kyler, "in the kitchen."

Kyler stood up and followed without question, but I stayed with Jackson for a moment longer.

"What's going on?"

I smiled. "You'll find out tonight." I reached up to kiss his neck before making a face. "You need to shave."

"Oh yeah?" He challenged, rubbing my face with his chin, making me squeal and giggle. "Still think I need to shave?"

"Yes, you do!" I said though laughter, before pushing him away and standing up, fixing my hair.

"By the way, Destiny, you look nice."

I rolled my eyes at Jackson before walking away, flipping him off over my shoulder, much to his amusement. 

"So, what do you think about doing How to Love by Lil Wayne?" Autumn questioned me when I walked into the kitchen. "Kyler could make do with percussion, and I can take an acoustic with me."

I nodded. "That would work for me… What range do you sing?"

"Uhm, around an alto?"

"I sing between first and second soprano, with Kyler singing tenor… Do you think we could harmonize?"

"It could work." Autumn and I looked over to Kyler. "Input?"

He laughed. "It works for me. But if I'm doing mainly vocal percussion, I can't really do much."

The three of us sat around and planned until Jackson came over and told us it was time to leave. Autumn ran to grab her guitar while I covered the brownies, and Kyler and Jackson talked.

"So what's happening, Kyler? We've never really talked."

I noted Ky shrugging out of the corner of my eye. "Nothing really to talk about, I suppose. Other than the fact you're dating my twin, I don't know anything about you."

When Jackson chuckled softly, I glanced up so my eyes met his. He winked at me, and I grinned before wrapping the rest of the brownies. "Well, I suppose we'll have to change that, won't we?" Jackson reached over and grabbed my packages from me, making me smile again.

"Everyone ready?" Autumn appeared from her bedroom with her case in hand. "Oh, wait a second…"

"What?"

"Four people and a guitar won't fit into either my or Jackson's car…"

We all looked to Jackson, and he shrugged with a small smile. "I'll drive Destiny, you drive Kyler and your guitar. I have Annabelle in my backseat, so it's a good thing you thought of that."

"Behave." Kyler said seriously as we walked toward the door, so I threw my elbow into his stomach.

Once we were all settled, Jackson looked over at me. "Behave?"

"Shut up." I giggled. "You shaved."

He grinned slightly. "This girl I happen to really like told me I needed to."

"I'm sure she appreciates it." I grinned at him, leaning over to kiss his cheek softly.

We pulled out behind Autumn and Kyler, but I had no doubt we would beat them to Kellan's. Jackson drove one handed, one of his hands resting on my knee, sending shivers down my back as he tapped a rhythm I didn't recognize.

"So what is this planning that was happening in my kitchen?"

"I told you, you'll see tonight. I really want to surprise you."

Jackson smiled and shook his head, turning to look at me when we reached a red stop light. "You never fail to surprise me." His smile stayed there, but his eyes were smoldering.

"J, the light changed." I said softly, and he turned away to focus on the road again. I reached down to place a hand over top of his, squeezing it as I stared out the window. We soon reached Kellan's house.

"Hey!" Kellan grinned when he ran out of the house over to our car. "Wait, where are the other two kids?"

Jackson and I both winced slightly when he said 'kids'. It reminded us of how others would look at our relationship."They drove separately, because two guitars and four people don't fit in one car."

Kellan shrugged. "Easy enough." He then grinned at me, grabbing me in a hug. "I missed you, little one."

I giggled. "You're such a teddy bear." I pushed him away from me playfully as I reached into the back seat to grab Annabelle for Jackson.

"Are those brownies?"

I rolled my eyes with a grin when Kellan grabbed the brownies and ran inside, just like the little kid he truly was. I looked at Jackson across the car to find him smiling at me. He walked around the car in a few steps to take my hand and looked down at me with that same smoldering gaze.

"You know, it's easy for a guy to get jealous when they see something like that."

I swear my heart skipped a beat. "It's easy for a girl to get jealous when a guy she cares about spends all day with younger women who would readily take him to bed."

Jackson's grin faded at that. "Destiny-"

"I trust you, J." I needed him to know that. "I just had to say it. I know you won't hurt me."

He pressed his lips together as he pulled me to him, me quickly maneuvering Annabelle out of the way as our bodies formed together. "I'm sorry."

"I really hope you don't have anything to be sorry for."

Jackson chuckled slightly when he pulled away, pressing his lips to my forehead. "I don't. And I plan on keeping it that way."

"Good." I whispered back before we walked inside together, Annabelle still in my possession.

"Wait, Dez, I didn't know you played guitar." Kristen did a double take when she looked at me, making me chuckle.

"This is Annabelle. I mean, I do, but not that well or anything."

"C'mon, play us something." Taylor grinned at me.

"Later." I said with a smile, thinking I could do that after Kyler, Autumn and I performed. I simply winked at Jackson's questioning look, before walking over to Kellan.


	26. Chapter 26

"Hey Kellan?" I asked in my sweetest voice.

"What's up?"

"Would you mind if Kyler, Autumn and I played something later tonight?"

He chuckled. "Of course not. When're you thinking?"

"Are we having a campfire?"

"Duh."

"Then."

He grinned. "Awesome." I protested when he ruffled my hair on his way out, which he simply ignored with a laugh.

Kyler and Autumn arrived around five minutes later, and I pulled them aside to share. They both grinned.

"So we're all performing together and then you're going to play something?"

"Yep. Probably on Annabelle."

Autumn looked at me, surprised. "He's going to let you play Annabelle?"

"I hope so… She's a really good guitar. Why?"

"No reason."

I raised an eyebrow, but Ben walked in and struck a pose. "No need to worry, ladies. I'm here, and there's plenty to go around."

I raised an eyebrow. "And who exactly asked for some of it…?"

As our friends laughed, Ben pouted. I walked over and pecked him on the cheek, giving him a quick hug before settling in on the couch between Jackson and Robert.

"You seem to be in quite a good mood." Rob said, raising an eyebrow at me. I simply shrugged in response, turning my attention to the game in front of me. It seems that our friends were playing Egyptian Ratscrew. I slapped in.

"Holy shit!" Kellan looked at me. "How did you see that?"

I grinned. "My dad, Kyler, Ash and I would play for bragging rights. A girl had to defend herself."

The game continued for a while until we all began to gravitate toward food, which happened to be burgers… again.

"Doesn't anyone know how to cook anything else?"

Jackson smirked at me. "For ten people, not really."

I glanced around, surprised that there were only ten people there. Kellan, Autumn, Kyler, Jackson, Robert, Kristen, Taylor, Ben, Ashley and I did only add up to ten… What do you know.  
I grabbed a hamburger and diet coke, heading out to sit in the backyard around a fire pit. I grinned at everyone else there, grabbing the seat between Ashley and Kristen.

"Hey girls, what's up?"

Our conversation continued until dark, when Kellan lit the fire and started passing around marshmallows and sticks.

"Now, ladies and gents, I have been informed that a trio here has compiled a performance that they wish to share with us."

All eyes switched to Kyler, Autumn, and me, and we all grinned. Autumn ran out to her car and grabbed her guitar before the three of us situated ourselves so we faced the group.

"So you guys all know that Autumn and I are going to Interlochen for music," Kyler began, "and that Destiny has a musical background. Well, Ash and I wanted to get her performing again, so we planned a song for you tonight, and we've been informed she'll be performing an individual song as well."

The other seven there clapped and cheered just like a normal audience, making us laugh. Kyler counted off before Autumn began. I counted three beats in before beginning:

"Cut the music up." Three more. "Little louder…" Kyler came in at that point, me tapping the beat on my leg and him doing vocal percussion.

"You had a lot of crooks try to steal your heart, never really had luck, couldn't ever figure out how to love. How to love. You had a lot of moments that didn't last forever. Now you're in a corner tryna put it together: how to love. How to love. For a second you were here, now you over there. It's hard not to stare, the way you moving your body like you never had a love. Never had a love

When you was just a youngin' your looks were so precious. But now you're grown up so fly it's like a blessing but you can't have a man look at you for five seconds without you being insecure. You never credit yourself, so when you got older it's seems like you came back ten times over. Now you're sitting here in this damn corner, looking through all your thoughts and looking over your shoulders

See you had a lot of crooks try to steal your heart, never really had luck, couldn't ever figure out how to love. How to love. See you had a lot of moments that didn't last forever. Now you're in this corner tryna put it together: how to love. How to love. For a second you were here, now you over there. It's hard not to stare the way you moving your body like you never had a love. Had a love.

Oh, you had a lot of dreams that transformed to visions. The fact that you saw the world affected all your decisions. But it wasn't your fault, wasn't in your intentions  
to be the one here talking to me, be the one listenin', but I admire your popping bottles and dippin', just as much as you admire bartending and stripping. Baby, so don't be mad, nobody else tripping. You see a lot of crooks and the crooks still crook.

See you had a lot of crooks try to steal your heart, never really had luck, couldn't ever figure out how to love. How to love. See you had a lot of moments that didn't last forever. Now you're in this corner tryna put it together: how to love. How to love.

Oh, see I just want you to know that you deserve the best. You're beautiful. You're beautiful. Yeah. And I want you to know, you're far from the usual. Far from the usual.

See you had a lot of crooks try to steal your heart, never really had luck, couldn't ever figure out how to love. How to love. See you had a lot of moments that didn't last forever. Now you're in this corner tryna put it together: how to love. How to love.

See you had a lot of crooks try to steal your heart, never really had luck, couldn't ever figure out how to love. How to love. Yeah, see you had a lot of moments that didn't last forever. Now you're in this corner tryna put it together: how to love. How to love."

Everyone started clapping when I sang the last note, making me smile and giggle along with the other two.

"You three sound great together." Ashley said, her smile huge.

"Wait! They're not done!" Taylor said, looking straight at me. "I want to hear that one play."

I laughed slightly and shook my head. "J, can I borrow Annabelle?"

"Sure. She's in the house."

I ran inside and grabbed her from the couch before getting back to my spot. I tuned her as I thought.

"Kyler, any song suggestions?"

"Why don't you do the first song you learned?"

I nodded slightly. "This song is a little depressing, but I love it…" I trailed off as I strummed, listening for any imperfections. "I hope you all like it. It's by Allison Iraheta.

"Did I say something stupid? There goes one more mistake. Do I bore you with my problems? Is that why you turn away? Do you know how hard I tried to become what you want me to be?

Take me. This is all that I've got. This is all that I'm not, all that I'll ever be. I've got flaws, I've got faults, keep searching for your perfect heart. It doesn't matter who you are. We all have our scars. We all have our scars.

You say don't act like a child. But what if it's a father I need? It's not like you don't know what you got yourself into. Don't tell me I'm the one whose naïve. Do you know how hard I've tried to become who you want me to be?

Take me. This is all that I've got. This is all that I'm not, all that I'll ever be. I've got flaws, I've got faults, keep searching for your perfect heart. It doesn't matter who you are. We all have our scars. We all have our scars.

Come on, just let it go. These are things you can't control. Your expectations, your explanations don't make sense to me. You and your alternatives, don't send me to your therapists. Deep down, I know what you mean, and I'm not sure that's what I wanna be, no.

Take me. This is all that I've got. This is all that I'm not, all that I'll ever be. I've got flaws, I've got faults, keep searching for your perfect heart. It doesn't matter who you are. We all have our scars. We all have our scars. Oh no no no.

Did I say something stupid? There goes one more mistake..."

I waited until the final cord had finished before looking up to the others in attendance. I had tears on my cheeks and, to my surprise, so did all the girls. Ashley, Kellan, Robert, and Kristen stood up as one, walking over to wrap their arms around me as Ben, Kyler, Jackson, and Taylor all turned to Autumn. I noticed she buried her face into Kyler's neck before I let myself be embraced, putting Annabelle aside so I could hug my friends.

"I don't know what happened to make you feel like that, but whatever happened must've been terrible." Ashley whispered to me.

I said nothing, squeezing my eyes shut as more tears fell.

"Guys, mind if I have some time with her?"

I opened my eyes to find Jackson standing behind the group, and they all released me, turning to hug each other. I took Jackson's offered hand and followed him through the house to the front porch.

Neither of us said anything as he pulled me into his chest and held me when I started crying harder.

"I'll tell them." I whispered to him, wrapping my arms around his waist to pull myself closer.

"That's not what I'm thinking right now."

I pulled away to look up at Jackson, but no words were exchanged before he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. I don't know how long we stood there, kissing, but I didn't really care. All that mattered is that we were together. However, when he did pull away, he pressed his lips to my ear.

"I was actually thinking that you're incredibly beautiful, especially when you let others in."

I turned my face to find his lips again, and lost myself in him.


	27. Chapter 27

As we walked back through the house, Jackson still had his arms around me. I wasn't quite willing to let him go, either, so I wasn't complaining. When we got to the doors that led directly to our friends, I stopped and looked up at Jackson.

"Are you sure you want to tell them?"

His only response was to claim my lips once again.

We walked out to group at that point, my mind completely off what they would think and focused on Jackson. His warmth, his care, his kisses… My God his kisses were amazing…

"So are you two together?"

I got pulled out of my thoughts when Kristen spoke up. I looked at her and smiled.

"Gee, there's just no fooling you, is there?"

The group laughed lightly, myself included when I felt Jackson's chest gently shake against my back.

"Yes, Kristen. We're together."

This made my insides melt. I mean, I knew we had both cared for each other. But together. Jackson and me. Me and Jackson. In a relationship. Just the two of us.

I was going to need therapy before the end of this. He was just too amazing.

Congratulations were passed to the two of us when Jackson sat down on the ground, me snuggled up in his lap.

I bit my lip for a second as the reason for my tear-streaked face came to mind. "Do you guys want to know what happened?"

After a general consensus, I told them. I told them everything. From our mother being raped, to my original relationship with Tre, to the cutting, to our dad, and finally what happened most recently. By the end of it, I didn't want to look up to see all the reactions. Kyler had moved beside us at one point in the story, and I glanced at my twin to see his silent tears mirroring my own.

"That son of a bitch." I heard, making me look up in shock. All the guys were gaping at me, mostly looking mad at the same time. The girls were in varying states of shock, a few ears escaping their eyes again. Only Autumn had no reaction.

She swallowed hard. "I have a story to tell as well." Our eyes connected. "Ben, Jackson, and Taylor already know this, but I was in a genuinely abusive relationship when I lived with our mother and father. My 'boyfriend' was incredibly sweet when we first met. He gave me a rose to ask me out hardly a month after we had met. Our relationship was happy for around three months, no problems. I gave myself to him, and told myself I was in love with him. Maybe I really was.

"One weekend, Mom and Dad took me to tour Interlochen, and he didn't stop texting me all weekend. When I got home, he told me to go over to his house as soon as possible. He punished me for leaving. Not only did he hit me, but he also took me again, this time while I was telling him not to. It got better for a little bit after that. Until I told him I was going to visit Ben. For the week between me telling him and the flight, I was constantly punished. He insisted on coming, and even when I said he couldn't, he got a hotel near our flat and came over almost every day. I did pretty much nothing besides see him for two weeks of the visit.

"During the third week, Ben and Jackson decided to treat me, taking me out for the entire day. When we got home, I checked my phone which had been on silence all day. I had thirty seven missed calls. All from him. I went over to his hotel room, and was once again punished. He punched me in the face, yelled at me, burned me with a lighter, and was planning on raping me again. Jackson had been planning to come and get me, and _he_ had been stupid enough to leave his door open. Jackson literally saved me from the relationship. He's in jail now, but it didn't stop me from cutting for a month, blaming myself for everything that happened. My parents sent me to live with Ben because they said they couldn't deal with a depressed child with their work schedule. I know they love me, but I needed something more, and both my big brothers were that more for me."

Autumn had never looked away from me, her eyes not meeting any other pair until she was finished and had a waterfall coming from her face, looking like all the other girls at that point. I stood out of Jackson's lap to go over and hug her close, the two of us needing a small moment. This was the first time either of us had told an audience, and it was nice to have someone that understood. Soon, another pair of arms wrapped around the two of us. Kyler.

It quickly turned into a group hug, everyone needing comfort at that moment. I knew I was personally shaking like a leaf as I continued to sob, not really caring who was holding me as long as I wasn't alone. I somehow ended up in Ben's arms at one point, and I'll never forget what he told me.

"Destiny, you're a part of the family now. Jackson and I would both defend you, just as strongly as we would Autumn. I truly love you like a little sister."

Everyone sat around for a long time after that, no one quite ready to leave anyone yet. I was back in Jackson's arms as the mood slowly lightened, everyone beginning to get comfortable again. When I was sure everyone else was distracted for a moment, I turned up to face Jackson. When he looked down at me, I placed my lips on top of his.

"Promise me something." I whispered, our lips brushing as I spoke.

His voice was husky when he whispered back: "Anything."

"No matter where this relationship goes, you'll never completely leave me."

"Never." Jackson responded, claiming my lips once again.


End file.
